Ofr 


REESE    LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY   OF   CALIFORNIA. 

Received. ..  _*±^&€LtSj  ^  ^  </, 

Accessions  No..*^^^ V^<3     Shelf  No.—      \x 


•BO 


I, I II,'1  front    ,,  ftirfttrr  in  ill?    -I///.V.V.  flisfar  a;it    Xfiru-ti* .    In/    /:'    If  A,, 

Jm    fuffuA  ifigtfity  ,,f  Sewhvru 


A    SKETCH 


THE    HISTORY 


NEWBURY,  NEWBURYPORT,  AM)  WEST  NEWBURY, 


FROM    1635    TO    1  845. 


BY  JOSHUA  COFFIN,  A.  B.  S.  H.  S. 


'  For  out  of  the  old  fieldes,  as  men  saithe, 
Cometh  the  new  come  from  yere  to  yere, 
And  out  of  old  bookes  in  good  fiuthe 
Cometh  this  new  science  that  men  lere.' 

CAoucer. 


Lives  there  a  man  with  soul  so  dead, 
Who  never  to  himself  nath  said, 
T  hu  it  my  otcn,  my  native  land?' 

Scott. 


BOSTON: 


PUBLISHED    BY    SAMUEL    G.    DRAKE, 

No.  56  COF.XHILL. 
PRINTED  BY  GEORGE  COOLIDGE,  NO.  67  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1845. 


OLD-TOWN  MEETING-HOUSE,  1700-1806. 


PREFACE. 

THOSE  who  are  familiar  with  ancient  mythology,  will  recollect  the  story  of  the 
f  good  Isis  who  went  forth  wandering  and  weeping  to  gather  up  the  parts  and 
fragments  of  her  murdered  and  scattered  Osiris,  fondly  yet  vainly  hoping  that 
she  might  recover  and  recombine  all  the  separate  parts,  and  once  more  view 
her  husband  in  all  his  former  proportions  and  beauty.'*  With  equal  assiduity, 
but  with  far  less  lamentation,  has  the  compiler  of 'the  following  pages  been  for 
many  years  engaged  at  intervals,  in  collecting  the  scattered  fragments  of  t  Quid 
Newberry.'  and  has  arranged  his  imperfect  materials  in  the  form  which  they 
now  exhibit  to  the  reader.  No  one  can  be  more  sensible  than  himself,  of  its 
deficiences,  its  want  of  symmetry  and  proportion,  which  the  reader  may,  if 
he  chooses,  attribute  as  much  to  the  want  of  skill  in  the  artist,  as  to  the  lack  of 

*  Quarterly  Register. 


IV  PREFACE. 

the  requisite  materials.  Throughout  the  whole  of  this  compilation  he  has  en- 
deavored to  make  a  broad  distinction  between  fact  and  tradition,  and  to  relate 
nothing  as  fact,  which  he  does  not  believe  to  be  true.  Strype  in  his  annals 
says,  ( I  have  chosen  to  set  down  things  in  the  very  words  of  the  records  and 
originals,  and  of  the  authors  themselves,  (rather  than  in  my  own,  without 
framing  and  dressing  them  in  more  modern  language,)  whereby  the  sense  is 
sure  to  remain  entire  as  the  writers  meant  it.  whereas  by  affecting  too  curious- 
ly to  change  and  model  words  and  sentences,  I  have  observed  the  sense  itself 
to  be  often  marred  and  disguised.7  This  is  the  course  that  the  compiler  has 
taken.  He  has  endeavored  to  give  as  accurate  a  representation  as  possible,  of 
the  character  of  the  inhabitants  of  Newbury  and  their  transactions,  for  over  two 
hundred  years,  and  has  been  desirous,  in  the  language  of  Tacitus,  i  sine  ira, 
sine  studio/  without  fear,  favor,  or  affection,  neither  l  to  extenuate,  nor  aught 
set  down  in  malice.'  He  is  well  aware  that  his  statements  in  many  places  do 
not  agree  either  with  the  tradition,  or  the  belief,  of  many  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town,  or  with  history.  Where  he  has  been  obliged  to  differ  from  com- 
mon opinion,  he  has  done  so  for  reasons,  which  to  him  appeared  entirely  satis- 
factory, and  has  been  pleased  to  rind  that  the  instances  have  been  very  few 
where  fact  and  tradition  do  not  substantially  agree.  It  is  however  much  to  be 
lamented,  that  so  small  a  number  of  the  first  settlers  were  in  the  habit  of  re- 
cording the  transactions  of  the  day,  and  that  the  journals  or  diaries  of  those 
who  made  a  record,  should  have  been  in  so  many  instances  lost  or  destroyed. 
Mr.  Anthony  Somerby,  the  first  school-master  of  Newbury,  the  ancestor  of  all 
of  that  name  in  this  country,  and  one  of  our  best  and  most  useful  citizens, 
kept  a  diary  of  passing  events,  as  I  have  been  informed  by  those  who  have 
seen  it,  but  of  which  no  trace  can  now  be  found.  An  aged  lady,  one  of  his 
descendants,  informed  me  that  he  versified  the  whole  book  of  Job.  Numerous 
instances  might  be  given  where  valuable  papers  in  large  quantities,  have 
been  destroyed,  because  they  were  'so  old  that  nobody  could  read  them.' 
4  All  are  not  such,'  and  among  the  many  persons,  who  have  in  various  ways 
rendered  valuable  assistance  in  the  compilation  of  this  work,  the  author  can- 
not forbear  mentioning  the  names  of  Messrs.  Robert  Adams,  reverend  William 
S.  Bartlet,  Daniel  Dole,  Moses  Davenport,  George  Danforth,  doctor  Ebenezer 
Hale,  doctor  E.  G.  Kelley,  Tristram  Little,  Josiah  Little,  Moses  Petti ngill, 
esquire,  Horatio  G.  Somerby,  of  Boston,  and  Charles  Toppan,  of  Philadelphia, 
to  whom  he  tenders  his  warmest  acknowledgments  for  the  interest  they  have 
manifested  in  the  work,  and  the  aid  they  have  afforded  toward  its  completion, 
and  to  all  others  not  mentioned  by  name,  who  have  rendered  any  assistance. 
If,  as  is  undoubtedly  the  case,  he  has  made  any  mistakes,  or  omitted  any 
necessary  or  valuable  information,  he  will  be  greatly  obliged  to  any  person  or 
persons,  who  will  correct  those  mistakes,  or  supply  those  omissions,  as  it  is  his 
intention  still  to  continue  to  collect  information,  in  order  that  some  future  his- 
torian may  be  able  to  supply  his  deficiences,  and  at  some  future  day  may  pre- 
pare a  work,  which  will  do  justice  to  the  reputation  of  i  Ould  Newberry.'  The 
sources  whence  the  compiler  of  the  present  history  has  derived  his  materials, 
are  almost  innumerable,  and  to  specify  them  all,  would  require  a  small  volume. 
The  principal  are  the  colonial,  province,  state,  county,  town,  church,  and  parish 
records.  The  town  records  have  been  well  kept,  and  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  missing  leaves  of  the  first  book,  are  full  and  accurate.  The  records  of  the 


PREFACE.  V 

first  church  commence  in  1674,  the  preceding  transactions  of  the  church,  having 
been  to  all  appearance  intentionally  destroyed ;  a  loss  very  much  to  be  regret- 
ted, but  which  hafc  in  part  been  supplied  by  copious  quotations  from  the  county 
records.  Some  persons  may  suppose,  that  too  many  pages  are  occupied  with 
the  ecclesiastical  affairs  of  the  town.  li,  should  be  remembered  that  in  no 
other  way  could  the  peculiar  traits  in  the  character  of  our  ancestors  be  fully 
developed.  It  was  the  religious  doctrines  that  they  had  embraced,  and  the 
consequent  principles  of  religious  and  civil  liberty,  which  they  could  not  enjoy 
in  their  own  land,  that  induced  such  a  company  of  gentlemen,  merchants,  and 
mechanics,  to  emigrate  from  the  populous  and  cultivated  towns  of  their  father 
land,  to  this  then  wilderness,  and  exchange,  as  many  of  them  did,  the  sword, 
the  awl,  the  needle,  and  the  yard -stick,  for  the  hoe,  the  axe,  the  anvil,  and  the 
plough  ;  and  to  omit  a  sufficient  allusion  to  their  religious  principles  and  their 
actual  development  in  practice,  would  be  to  narrate  effects,  and  not  notice  the 
causes  which  produced  them.  No  one  can  justly  appreciate  the  character  of 
our  forefathers,  and  the  sacrifices  they  made  for  their  posterity,  without  a  knowl- 
edge of  those  principles,  which,  like  a  main-spring,  set  every  thing  in  motion. 
But  enough  has  been  said  on  this  subject.  Our  attention  for  a  few  pages  will 
be  given  to  affairs  more  secular. 

The  town  of  Newbury  was  originally  one  of  the  largest  towns  in  the  county. 
It  was  about  thirteen  miles  long,  and  about  six  miles  broad  in  the  widest  place, 
and  contained  about  thirty  thousand  acres,  of  which  nearly  two  thousand  are 
covered  with  water. 

In  1764,  it  was  divided  into  two  towns,  Newbury  and  Newburyport.  In 
1771,  a  province  valuation  was  taken,  and  in  1781,  a  valuation  was  taken  by 
the  state,  in  which  Newbury  and  Newburyport  stood  thus. 

Newbrny.       Newburyport. 

750  875  Polls  ratable. 

10  7            "  supported  by  the  town. 

75  51  "  not  supported  by  the  town. 

437  430  Dwelling  houses. 

36  60  Shops  separate  or  adjoining  other  buildings. 

26  38  Tan  houses,  slaughter  houses,  &c. 

393  210  Barns. 

14  45  All  other  buildings  of  £  5  value  and  upward. 

1450  113  1-2  Acres  of  tillage  land. 

2380  86  3-4      "     of  English  and  upland  mowing. 

10,802  113  1-2      "     of  pasturage. 

192  7176  Tons  of  vessels,  of  5  tons  burthen  and  upward. 

592    £  74,131  Stock  in  trade. 

341  146  Horses  and  mares,  3  years  old  and  upward. 
562  30  Oxen,  4  years  old  and  upward. 
1468  1741  Cows,  4  years  old  and  upward. 
645  160  Swine,  6  months  old  and  upward. 
318  5149  Ounces  of  silver  plate. 
£  57,726    £  24,668  Debts  due  to  any  persons. 
£  2825  Monies  on  hand. 

Newburyport  also  in  1781.  had  ten  distil  and  sugar  houses,  three  jope  walks, 


VI  PREFACE. 

thirty-nine  ware-houses,  and  eighty-seven  thousand  nine  hundred  superfi- 
cial feet  of  wharf.  Newbury  also  had  in  1781,  sixteen  grist,  saw,  fulling,  and 
slitting  mills,  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  six  acres  of  fresh  meadow,  three 
thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  acres  of  salt  marsh,  made  one  thousand 
four  hundred  and  thirteen  barrels  of  cider,  had  eight  hundred  and  fifty-two  acres 
of  wood  land,  three  hundred  and  three  acres  of  unimproved  land,  and  thirty-five 
acres  of  land  unimprovable,  had  ten  colts,  two  years  old,  fourteen  colts  one 
year  old,  three  hundred  and  one  neat  cattle  three  years  old,  three  hundred  and 
ninety,  two  years  old,  three  hundred  and  fifty-five,  one  year  old,  and  two  thousand 
three  hundred  and  seventy-six  sheep  and  goats.  In  1819,  West  Newbury  was  set 
off  and  incorporated  as  a  separate  town.  The  state  valuation  for  1840,  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

Newbury.    Newburyport.    West  Newbury. 

859  1249  404        Ratable  Polls  16  years  old  and  upward. 

182  304  32        Male  polls  not  taxed  nor  supported  by  the  town. 

18  56               4             U        u     u     supported  by  the  town. 

401  832  301  1-2  Dwelling  houses. 

6  1  —        Rope  walks. 

3  1         Grist  mills. 

9  53  4         Shops  within,  or  adjoining  to  dwelling  houses. 

74  103  79        other  shops. 

4  1         Tan  houses. 

238  4        Ware  houses  and  stores. 

6  1  —        Rope  walks. 

4  —         Cotton  factories,  11.046  spindles,  and  280  looms 

in  the  same. 

2  1  Woolen  factories. 

240  800  '—         Spindles. 

376  318  2195-12  Barns. 

80  1-8        161  141         All  other  buildings  and  edifices  of  the  value  of 

$20  and  upward. 

—       453,812  —         Superficial  feet  of  wharf. 

2,397  1-2  13,456  Tons  of  vessels  and  small  craft  of  5  tons  bur- 

then and  upward. 
2,011 1-2         41         2496  1-2  Acres  of  English  and  upland  mowing. 

346  —        1084 1-2  Acres  of  fresh  meadow. 

6,947  3-4  88  1-2  4,084  1-2  Acres  of  pasturage. 
888  1-4  — -  279  Acres  of  woodland. 
201  1-2  —  190  Acres  of  unimproved  land. 

The  three  towns  also  raised  in  1840,  eight  hundred  and  eleven  bushels  of 
wheat,  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty  bushels  of  rye,  six  thousand  and 
seventy-three  bushels  of  oats,  fifteen  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty-five  bush- 
els of  Indian  corn,  and  three  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  bushels  of 
barley.  There  were  also  in  Newbury,  three  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  and  one  half  acres  of  salt  marsh,  and  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  and  one  half  tons  of  salt  hay  cut  on  the  same.  Newbury  also  had  two 
carding  machines,  two  fulling  mills,  and  one  and  a  half  saw  mills. 

Since  the  first  settlement  of  the  town,  that  part  of  it  now  called  Newburyport, 


PREFACE.  V 

has  witnessed  great  changes,  not  only  in  its  business,  but  in  its  external  appear- 
ance. In  the  printed  programme  of  the  procession,  which  honored  general 
Washington  with  an  escort  in  1789,  a  conspicuous  place  was  assigned  to  the 
1  distillers,'  whg  were  then  a  numerous  body  of  men.  At  that  time  there  were 
ten  or  twelve  distilleries  in  the  town,  and  six  rope  walks.  Now  there  are  but 
one  of  each,  and  manufacturing,  a  new  and  rapidly  increasing  business,  is  tak- 
ing the  place  of  the  West  India  trade,  by  which  it  once  rose  to  great  wealth. 

In  1796,  doctor  D  wight  thus  writes  : 

1  Newburyport  is  probably  the  smallest  township  in  the  state,  including  only  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres.  It  lies  on  the  .  southern  shore  of  the  Merrimac.  The 
town  is  built  on  a  declivity  of  unrivalled  beauty.  The  slope  is  easy  and  ele- 
gant :  the  soil  rich,  the  streets,  except  one  near  the  water,  clean  and  sweet ; 
and  the  verdure,  wherever  it  is  visible,  exquisite.  The  streets  are  either  paral- 
lel, or  right  angled,  to  the  river ;  the  southern  shore  of  which  bends,  here,  to- 
wards the  south  east.  None  of  them  are  regularly  formed.  Still  there  is  so 
near  an  approximation  to  regularity  as  to  awaken  in  the  mind  of  a  traveler, 
with  peculiar  strength  a  wish  that  the  regularity  had  been  perfect.  For  my- 
self I  was  not  a  little  mortified  to  see  so  fair  an  opportunity  of  compassing  this 
beauty  on  so  exquisite  a  spot  finally  lost.  As  it  is,  however,  there  are  few  towns 
of  equal  beauty  in  this  country.  .  .  .  The  houses  taken  collectively,  make 
a  better  appearance  than  those  of  any  other  town  in  New  England.  Many  of 
them  are  particularly  handsome.  Their  appendages  also  unusually  neat.  In- 
deed, an  air  of  wealth,  taste  and  elegance,  is  spread  over  this  beautiful  spot,  to 
which  I  know  no  rival.  .  .  .  From  the  tower  of  the  church  belonging  to 
the  fifth  Congregation,  a  noble  prospect  is  presented  to  the  spectator.  On  the 
west  and  south,  spreads  an  extensive  champaign  country,  ornamented  with 
good  farmers'  houses,  orchards,  and  cultivated  fields,  and  varied  by  a  number 
of  beautiful  hills.  Behind  them  rise,  remotely,  two  mountains,  finely  connect- 
ing 'the  landscape  with  the  sky.  On  the  north  flows  the  Merrimac,  visible 
about  four  miles  ;  exhibiting  two  islands  in  its  bosom,  near  the  point,  where  it 
first  appears ;  and  joining  the  ocean  between  two  sand  banks,  on  which  are 
erected  two  movable  Light  houses.  On  the  North  shore  stand  the  towns  of 
Salisbury  and  Amesbury.  Behind  this  the  country  rises  gradually,  parted  into 
a  variety  of  eminences ;  one  of  them,  which  from  its  appropriation  by  the  sav- 
ages, is  called  Powow  hill,  particularly  handsome.  Over  all  these  ascends  at 
the  distance  of  twenty-five  miles,  the  round  summit  of  Agamenticus.  North 
eastward,  the  Isles  of  Shoals  appear  at  the  distance  of  eight  leagues,  like  a 
cloud  in  the  horizon.  Eastward  the  ocean  spreads  inimitably.  At  a  small  dis- 
tance from  the  shore.  Plum  Island,  a  wild  and  fantastical  sand  beach,  is  thrown 
up  by  the  joint  power  of  winds  and  waves  into  the  thousand  wanton  figures  of 
a  snow  drift.  Immediately  beneath  is  the  town  itself,  which  with  its  churches 
and  beautiful  houses,  its  harbor  and  shipping,  appears  as  the  proper  centre  of 
this  circle  of  scenery,  and  leaves  on  the  mind  a  cheerfulness  and  brilliancy, 
strongly  resembling  that,  which  accompanies  a  delightful  morning  in  May. 

1  Newbury  contains  five  parishes,  in  which  are  five  congregations  and  a  so- 
ciety of  Friends.  It  is  all  settled  in  plantations,  formed  especially  along  the 
Merrimac  of  excellent  land  under  good  cultivation.  The  surface  is  generally 
pleasant,  and  remarkably  so  on  the  borders  of  the  river  from  some  of  the  emi- 
nences.' These  eminences,  of  which  the  doctor  speaks,  are  principally  in 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

West  Newbury,  and  are  called  Pipe-stave,  Crane-neck,  Archelaus.  Old-town, 
and  Indian  hills.  With  the  exception  of  the  summit  of  Old-town  hill,  the  land 
on  all  the  swells  in  Newbury,  is  of  the  first  quality.  The  Indian-hill  farm, 
owned  by  colonel  Benjamin  Poore,  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  received 
in  1843,  the  premium  of  two  hundred  dollars,  from  the  committee  of  the 
agricultural  society,  who  deemed  it  the  best  managed  farm  in  the  county. 
Newbury  has  also  the  honor  of  having  the  first  incorporated  academy  in  the 
state,  the  first  toll-bridge,  the  first  chain  bridge,  the  first  incorporated  woolen 
factory;  and  the  first  vessel  that  displayed  the  American  flag  in  the  river 
Thames,  was  the  Count  De  Grasse,  commanded  by  captain  Nicholas  Johnson, 
of  Newburyport.  Many  other  interesting  facts  might  be  mentioned,  for  which 
I  have  no  room.  I  will  only  add,  for  the  information  of  the  reader,  that  a  brief 
sketch  of  the  life  of  doctor  John  Clark,  whose  portrait  is  prefixed  to  this  work, 
may  be  found  in  Thacher's  Medical  Biography.  See  also  page  391.  The  wood 
cut  of  the  first  parish  meeting-house,  built  in  1700,  and  demolished  in  1806,  is 
not  an  exact  representation.  It  was  drawn  from  the  recollection  of  one  person, 
by  another,  who  never  saw  it.  f  The  roof  was  originally  constructed  with  four 
gable  ends  or  projections,  one  on  each  side,  each  containing  a  large  window, 
which  gave  light  to  the  upper  galleries,  where  the  young  people  sat.  The 
children  sat  on  a  seat  in  the  alley,  fixed  to  the  outside  of  the  pews.  Before 
the  pulpit  and  deacon's  seat,  was  a  large  pew  containing  a  table,  where  sat  the 
chiefs  of  the  fathers.  The  turret  was  in  the  centre,  and  the  bell  was  rung  and 
tolled  in  the  centre  of  the  broad  aisle.  Originally,  the  space  within  was  open 
to  the  roof,  where  were  many  ornaments  of  an  antique  sculpture  and  wainscot, 
and  was,  in  the  day  of  it,  a  stately  building,  but  long  before  it  was  torn  down, 
a  steeple  was  substituted  for  the  turret,  the  dormar  windows  were  removed, 
and  the  roof  thus  made  plain,'  #  as  it  appears  on  the  third  page.  The  reader 
of  the  following  pages,  will  make  the  following  corrections.  Page  244,  <  June 
seventeenth,  1774,'  should  be  placed  in  1775.  On  page  270,  for  'captain 
Michael  Smith,'  read  l  captain  Samuel  E.  Bailey.'  On  page  363,  for  *  tattle,' 
read l  cattle.'  On  page  285,  add  :  reverend  Daniel  P.  Pike,  pastor.'  Other  errors 
the  intelligent  reader  will  undoubtedly  notice,  in  the  following  sketch  of  Ould 
Newberry. 

*  Reverend  doctor  Popkin. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 


1635. 

1  OULD  NEWBERRY,'  as  it  was  anciently  called,  was  settled,  incor- 
porated, and  paid  its  first  tax,  in  the  spring  of  1635.  It  derives  its 
name  from  Newbury,  a  town  in  Berkshire,  England,  situated  in  the 
south  part  of  the  county,  on  the  river  Kennet,  fifty-six  miles  west 
from  London.  It  was  so  named  in  honor  of  the  reverend  Thomas 
Parker,  who  had  for  some  time  preached  in  Newbury,  England, 
before  his  arrival  in  America.  Till  its  incorporation  in  1635  it  was 
called  by  its  Indian  name,  Quascacunqucn,  a  name,  which  the 
natives  gave,  riot  to  the  whole  territory,  (as  the  word  signifies  a 
'  waterfall,')  but  to  <  the  falls,'  on  what  is  now  called  the  river  Parker, 
on  whose  banks  the  first  settlers  fixed  their  habitations.  As  different 
dates  have  been  assigned  by  different  persons  for  the  first  settlement 
of  the  town,  some  placing  it  in  1633,  others  in  1634,  and  others  in 
1635,  I  will  here  mention  all  the  facts  and  assertions  I  have  been 
able  to  find  on  the  subject,  and  the  reasons  which  induce  me  to 
suppose,  that,  if  any,  no  permanent  settlement  was  here  made  till 
early  in  the  spring  of  1635.  In  the  Newbury  records,  under  the 
year  1752,  I  find  the  following  entry,  which,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  is 
the  origin  of  all  the  assertions,  any  where  to  be  found,  that  Newbury 
was  settled  in  1633. 

1  For  religion's  sake,  as  I  trust,  our  forefathers  left  their  native  shore;  they 
bid  adieu  to  their  stately  buildings  and  goodly  seats,  and  many  of  them  look  a 
final  farewell  of  their  friends,  and  shipped  themselves  and  families  on  board 
the  ship  Hector  for  New  England,  and  by  the  grace  of  God,  they  arrived  in  this 
wilderness  in  the  year  1633,  and  this  place  was  then  called  by  the  natives 
Quascacunquen.  Our  fathers  began  with  courage  to  clear,  manure,  and  till 
the  land ;  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  bless  their  industry,  and  the  earth  brought 
forth  increase,  and  also  the  Lord  added  to  their  families  and  increased  their 
number;  and  in  the  year  1635,  on  the  third  month,  called  May,  the  great  and 
general  assembly  was  pleased  to  incorporate  them  into  a  town,  and  invested 
them  with  town 'privileges,  and  called  the  name  thereof  Newbury;  and  our 
fathers  be<?an  the  year  of  births  and  deaths,  as  by  record  do  appear,  on  the  first 
O 


10  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

of  March;  and  it  hath  been  so  continued,  from  time  to  time,  until  this  day.  nnd 
now,  by  an  act  of  Parliament,  we  aiv  ordered  1o  Itcunr  the'  year  on  the  iirst  of 
January,  and  in  humble  obedience  to  the  crovrn  and  dignity,  I  shall  proceed 
accordingly;  viz.  January  ye  lirst,  1752. 

JOSEPH  COFFIN,    Town  Clerk.' 

From  the  preceding  statement,  any  person,  without  examination, 
would  be  induced  to  believe  that  '  our  lathers,'  the  first  settlers  of 
Newbury,  all  came  here  in  the  year  1(333,  in  the  ship  Hector.  That 
this  was  not  the  case,  we  have  abundant  proof.  In  the  first  place, 
the  word,  Hector,  the  name  of  the  ship  in  which  it  is  said  they  came, 
is  not  in  the  original  record,  but  was  inserted  there  by  some  subse- 
quent hand,  and  cannot  be  true,  as  we  have  abundant  evidence  that 
a  large  majority  of  the  lirst  settlers  of  Newbury,  came  to  New  Eng- 
land at  different  times  and  in  different  ships,  between  the  last  of 
April,  1634,  and  July,  1635,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see.  In  the  next 
place,  we  have  no  proof  that  the  Hector  came  to  New  England  till 
1636,  when  Mr.  Thomas  Milward,  who  afterward  settled  in  New- 
bury, came  over  as  mate  of  that  ship,  as  will  be  seen  under  that 
year.  It  is,  however,  possible,  that  the  Hector  came  to  New  Eng- 
land in  1633,  as,  oat  of  eight  ships  that  arrived  in  '  this  wilderness ' 
in  that  year,  the  name  of  one  only  is  not  known.  In  the  year  1634, 
twenty-two  ships  arrived  in  New  England.  Of  these,  we  know  the 
names  of  nearly  all,  but  the  name  of  the  Hector  is  not  among  them. 
Those,  therefore,  who  have  supposed  that  their  ancestors  came  to 
Newbury  in  1633,  in  the  Hector,  must,  in  the  absence  of  all  proof, 
place  no  dependence  on  the  apocryphal  tradition,  part  of -which 
has  been  interpolated  by  some  anonymous  writer. 

I  now  proceed  to  give  my  reasons  for  believing,  that  the  territory 
which  was  afterward  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Newbury,  was 
not  settled  till  the  spring  of  163o.  Possibly,  there  might  have  been 
a  few  interloping  fishermen,  who  occupied  a  part  of  the  coast,  and 
the  banks  of  the  Merrimac  and  Quascacunqucn  during  the  fishing 
season,  but  who  were  not  among  the  permanent  settlers  of  Newbury. 

Governor  Winthrop,  in  his  invaluable  History  of  New- England, 
vol.  1,  pp.  98,  99,  thus  writes,  under  date  of  seventeenth  of  January, 
1632-3. 

i  The  governor,  having  intelligence  from  llie  east,  that  the  French  had  bought 
the  Scottish  plantation  near  cape  Sable,  and  that  the  fort  and  all  the  ammunition 
were  delivered  to  them,  and  that  the  cardinal,  having  the  managing  thereof,  had 
sent  some  companies  already,  and  preparation  was  made  to  send  many  more  the 
next  year,  and  clivers  priests  and  Jesuits  among  them  —  called  the  assistants  to 
Boston,  and  the  ministers  and  captains,  and  some  other  chief  men,  to  ad  rise 
what  was  lit  to  be  done  for  our  safety,  in  regard  the  French  were  like  to  prove 
ill  neighbours.  (beinir  papists  :)  at  which  meeting  it  was  agreed  that  a  plantation 
and  a  fort  should  forthwith  be  begun  at  Natascott,  partly  to  be  some  block  in 
an  enemy's  way,  (though  it  would  not  bar  his  entrance.)  and  especially  to  pre- 
vent an  enemy  from  taking  that  passage  from  us ;  and  also,  that  a  plantation 
should  be  beo'un  at  Aira  warn,  (beinir  the  best  place  in  the  land  for  tillage  and 
cattle,)  least  an  enemy,  finding  it  void,  should  possess  and  take  it  from  us.  The 
governor's. son,  (bein^  one  of  the  assistants.)  was  to  undertake  this,  and  to  take 
no  more  out  of  the  hay  than  t\vo!vo  mm  :  the  rest  to  be  supplied  at  1h.-«  coming 
of  the  next  ships.7 


HISTORY    OF    XEWnURY.  11 

Referring  to  this  subject,  governor  Hutchinson  remarks: 

'  Tt  appears  that  the  Massachusetts  people  took  possession  of  the  country  at  a 
very  critical  time.  Ricliliri].  in  all  probability,  would  have  planted  his  colony 
nearer  the  sun.  if  he  could  have  found  any  place  vacant.  De  Monts  and  com- 
pany had  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  coast  from  cape  Sables  beyond 
cape  Cod  in  1604;  indeed,  it  does  not  appear  that  they  went  round  or  to  the 
bottom  of  Massachusetts  bav.  Had  they  once  gained  footing  there,  they  would 
have  prevented  the  English.'* 
k 

From  these  quotations  it  is  evident,  that  it  was  the  determination 
of  the  Massachusetts  colony,  to  extend  their  settlements  eastward  as 
fast  as  possible,  and,  as  it  was  of  great  importance  that  the  first  set- 
tlers especially  should  be  men  of  the  right  stamp,  in  1630,  Septem- 
ber seventh,  '  all  persons  were  forbidden,'  by  the  court,  '  to  plant 
within  the  limits  of  their  patent  without  leave.'  '  A  warrant  shall 
forthwith  be  sent  to  Agawam,  to  command  those  who  are  planted 
there,  forthwith  to  come  away/f  Again,  the  court,  April,  1633, 
'  ordered  that  no  person  whatsoever  shall  go  to  plant  or  inhabit  at 
Agawam,  [now  Ipswich.]  without  leave  from  the  court,  except  those 
that  are  already  gone  with  Mr.  John  Winthrop,  junior,  namely, 
Mr.  [William]  Clerk,  Robert  Coles,  Thomas  Howlett,  John  Biggs, 
John  Gage,  Thomas  Hardy,  Mr.  [John]  Thorndike,'  and  three 
others,  names  not  given,  all  of  whom  had  removed  to  Agawam  the 
preceding  month. 

In  the  course  of  the  year  1G33,  eight  ships  with  passengers, 
arrived  in  New  England."  In  1034  twenty-two  ships  arrived,  of 
which  six  arrived  in  May,  fifteen  in  June,  and  one  in  November. 
These  ships  brought  a  large  number  of  passengers,  who  soon  found 
places  to  settle.  In  one  of  the  ships,  that  arrived  in  May,  came 
'  Mr.  [Thomas]  Parker,  a  minister,  and  a  company  with  him,  being 
about  one  hundred,  [and]  went  to  sit  down  at  Agawam,  and  divers 
others  of  the  new  comers.' J 

So  great,  in  fact,  was  the  influx  of  emigrants  to  New  England, 
that  in  many  places  they  could  not  be  accommodated.  i  Those 
of  Newtown,  [now  Cambridge,]  complained  of  straitness  for  want 
of  land,  especially  meadow,  and  desired  leave  of  the  court,  Mav, 
1634.  to  look  out  either  for  enlargement  or  removal,  which  was 
granted;  whereupon  they  sent  men  to  see  Agawam  and  Merrimack, 
and  gave  out  they  would  remove.' §  They,  however,  went  the  next 
year,  (October,  1633,)  to  Connecticut. 

Hubbard,  in  his  history  of  New  England,  page  192,  states,  that 
*  the  plantation  at  Agawam,  was  from  the  first  year  of  its  being 
raised  to  a  township,  [August,  1634,]  so  filled  with  inhabitants, 
tli at  some  of  them  presently  swarmed  out  into  another  place  a  little 
farther  eastward.  Mr.  Parker  was  at  first  called  to  Ipswich  to  join 
with  Mr.  Ward ;  but  he  choosing  rather  to  accompany  some  of  his 
countrymen  (who  came  out  of  Wiltshire  in  England,)  to  that  new 

*  Hutthinson.  vol.  1.  page  30.  "t  General  court  record. 

J  Winthrop,  vol.  1.  page  133.  §  Winthrop,  vol.  1.  page  132. 


12  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

place,  than  to  be  engaged  with  such  as  he  had  not  been  acquainted 
withal  before,  removed  with  them  and  settled  at  Newbury,  which 
recess  of  theirs  made  room  for  others,  that  soon  after  supplied  their 
places.' 

Now,  as  it  is  well  known  that  Messrs.  Parker,  Noyes,  Woodbridge, 
and  company,  did  not  remove  to  Quascacunquen  till  May,  1635, 
the  inquiry  naturally  arises  why  they  did  not  remove  to  that  place 
before,  especially  as  Agawam  was  '  filled  with  inhabitants,'  the 
situation  of  Quascacunquen  being  one  of  the  best  in  the  country,  and 
the  general  court  extremely  anxious  to  extend  their  settlements  as 
fast  as  possible.  The  answer  to  these  questions  may  be  found  in 
Edward  Winslow's  '  Hypocrisie  Unmasked ;  whereunto  is  added 
a  Brief  Narration,  (occasioned  by  certain  aspersions,)  of  the  true 
grounds  or  cause  of  the  first  planting  of  New  England,'  and  so  forth ; 
lately  reprinted  in  the  '  Chronicles  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  of  the 
Colony  of  Plymouth,'  by  reverend  Alexander  Young,  Boston.  As 
no  copy  of  the  original  work,  which  was  printed  in  small  quarto  in 
1646,  was  to  be  found  in  America,  Mr.  Young  procured  a  transcript 
of  the  work  from  one  in  the  British  Museum.  On  pages  402,  3,  and 
4,  of  that  extremely  valuable  and  ably  edited  collection,  I  find  the 
following : 

f  The  next  aspersion  cast  upon  us,  is,  that  we  will  not  suffer  any  that  differ 
from  us  never  so  little,  to  reside  or  cohabit  with  us ;  no,  not  the  presbyterian 
government,  which  differeth  so  little  from  us.  To  which  I  atiswer,  our  practice 
witnesseth  the  contrary.  For  't  is  well  known  that  Mr.  Parker  and  Mr.  Noyce, 
who  are  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ  at  Newberry,  are  in  that  way  and  so  known, 
so  far  as  as  a  single  congregation  can  be  exercised  in  it ;  yet  never  nad  the 
least  molestation  or  disturbance,  and  have  and  find  as  good  respect  from  magis- 
trates and  people,  as  other  elders  in  the  congregational  or  primitive  way.7 
1  So  also  'tis  well  known  that  before  these  unhappy  troubles  arose  in  England 
and  Scotland,  there  were  divers  gentlemen  of  Scotland  that  groaned  under  the 
heavy  pressures  of  those  times,  wrote  to  know  whether  they  might  be  freely 
suffered  to  exercise  their  presbyterial  government  amongst  us;  and  it  was 
answered  affirmatively  that  they  might.  And  they  sending  over  a  gentleman 
to  take  a  view  of  some  fit  place,  a  river  called  Meromeclc,  near  Ipswich  and 
Newberry  aforesaid,  was  showed  their  agent,  which  he  well  liked,  and  where  we 
have  since  four  towns  settled,  and  more  may  be  for  aught  I  know  ;  so  that  there 
they  might  have  had  a  complete  presbytery,  and  u-hither  they  intended  to  have 
come.  But  meeting  with  manifold  crosses,  being  half  seas  through,  they  gave  over 
their  intendments ;  and  as  I  have  heard,  these  were  many  of  the  gentlemen  that 
first  fell  upon  the  late  covenant  in  Scotland.' 

Cotton  Mather,  in  his  Magnalia,  vol.  1,  page  73,  makes  a  similar 
statement,  but  neither  he  nor  Winslow  gives  the  date  of  the  letter,  or 
the  time  when  the  agent  arrived.  This  deficiency  is  supplied,  not 
only  by  Winthrop,  but  by  the  court  records.  The  former,  vol.  1, 
page  135,  says,  '  we  received  letters  from  a  godly  preacher,  Mr. 
Levinston,  a  Scotchman  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  whereby  he  signi- 
fied that  there  were  many  good  Christians  in  those  parts  resolved  to 
come  hither,  if  they  might  receive  satisfaction  concerning  some 
questions  and  propositions,  which  they  sent  over.'  This  was  in 
July,  1634.  The  court  records  for  September  state,  vol.  1,  p.  128, 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  13 

'it  is  ordered,  that  the  Scottishe  and  Irish  gentlemen,  who  intends 
to  come  hither,  shall  have  liberty  to  sett  doun  upon  any  place  upp 
Merrimack  river,  not  possessed  by  any.'  From  all  these  quotations 
it  is  evident,  that  the  general  court,  in  September,  1634,  had  granted 
to  this  expected  company,  through  their  agent,  a  township  of  land 
at  the  mouth  of  Merrimack  river,  and  ;  whither  they  intended  to 
have  come;'  that,  after  receiving  satisfactory  answers  to  their 
1  questions  and  propositions,'  they  embarked  for  New  England,  and, 
after  performing  about  one  half  their  voyage,  *  they  gave  over  their 
intendments,'  in  consequence  of  the  '  manifold  crosses '  they  met, 
and  returned  home.  Now,  when  it  is  recollected,  that  '  the  court 
had  forbidden  all  persons  to  plant  within  the  limite  of  their  patent 
without  leave,'  and  that  the  territory  nowr  called  Newbury  had 
actually  been  granted  to  a  company  of  '  good  Christians '  who  had 
1  resolved  to  come  hither,'  and  that  the  settlers  at  Agawam,  [Ipswich,] 
must  have  known  these  facts,  the  reason  is  obvious  why  they  neither 
took  possession  of  the  territory,  nor  asked  permission  so  to  do. 
Neither  is  it  at  all  probable  that  they  had  heard  of  the  failure  of  the 
intended  expedition  till  the  next  spring.  The  reasons  for  this  opinion 
are  these.  Of  the  twenty-two  ships,  which  arrived  in  New  England 
during  the  year  1634,  one  only  arrived  after  June,  and  that  was  the 
1  Regard,'  which  came  in  November.  This  opinion  is  corroborated 
by  the  following  extract  from  the  Ipswich  records,  namely: 

'  December  29th,  1634.  It  is  consented  unto  that  John  Perkins,  junior,  shall 
build  a  ware,  [fish  trap,]  upon  the  river  of  QuasycuiiGf.  [now  river  Parker.]  and 
enjoy  the  profitts  of  it.  but  in  case  a  plantation  shall  there  settle,  then  he  is  to 
submit  himself  unto  such  conditions,  as  shall  by  them  be  imposed.' 

This  conditional  grant  certainly  implies,  that  no  settlement  had 
then  been  commenced,  and  the  probability,  that  a  plantation  in  that 
place  would  soon  be  established,  when  their  jurisdiction  would  of 
course  cease.  There  are  also  other  proofs.  On  the  tombstone  of 
Henry  Sewall,  now  standing  in  the  burying  yard  of  the  first  parish 
in  Newbury,  is  the  following  inscription. 

1  Henry  Sewall.  sent  by  his  father.  Henry  .Sewall,  in  the  ship  Elizabeth  and 
Dorcas,  arrived  at  Boston  1634,  wintered  at" Ipswich,  helped  begin  this  plantation 
1635,  furnishing  English  servants,  neat  cattle,  and  provisions.  Married  Mrs. 
Jane  Dummer  March  25,  1646.  and  died  May  16.  1700.  His  fruitful  vine,  being 
thus  disjoined,  fell  to  the  ground  January  following.  Ps.  27  :  10.' 

This  inscription  was  undoubtedly  written  by  his  son,  judge 
Samuel  Sewall,  in  whose  diary  I  find  the  following.  '  Newbury 
was  planted  in  1634.  My  father  has  told  me  so, -who  was  one  of 
the  first  inhabitants.'  The  reverend  Samuel  Danforth,  'a  great 
antiquary,'  in  his  almanac  for  1647,  states  that '  Newbury  was  begun 
in  1634.'  Captain  Edward  Johnson,  in  his  '  Wonder-working 
Providence,'  written  in  1651,  states,  that '  Messrs.  Parker  and  Noyes 
began  to  build  the  tenth  church  at  a  place  called  Newbesry  in  the 
latter  end  of  the  year  1634.'  These  apparent  contradictions  can  be 


14  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

easily  reconciled,  if  we  bear  in  mind  the  fact,  that  the  year,  with  otif 
puritan  forefathers,  began  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  March,  and  not  on 
the  first  of  January,  as  the  custom  now  is.  Not  satisfied  with 
renouncing  all  rites  and  ceremonies,  not,  in  their  opinion,  clearly 
warranted  by  the  bible,  they  attempted  a  reformation  in  the  calendar 
by  repudiating  the  names  of  the  months,  and  of  the  days  of  the 
week,  as  of  heathenish  origin,  and  altogether  unsuitable  to  be  used 
by  chris'.ians,  for,  in  the  language  of  Johnson,  in  his  '  Wonder- 
working Providence,'  '  the  practice  was  designed  of  purpose  to 
prevent,  the  heathenish  and  popish  observation  of  days,  months,  and 
years,  that  they  may  be  forgotten  among  the  people  of  the  Lord.' 
They  also  commenced  their  year  in  March,  the  twenty-fifth  of 
that  month  being  new  year's  day.  In  order,  however,  to  accom- 
date  all  tho.se  who  did  not  desire  this  reformation,  a  double  date 
was  used  between  January  first  and  March  twenty-fifth.  Thus 
twelfth  mo.  1634-5,  meant  either  February  the  twelfth  month,  1634, 
or  February  the  second  month,  1635,  according  to  the  different 
opinions  of  the  reader.  '  The  latter  end'  of  1634  might  mean,  and 
probably  did  mean,  the  time  between  January  first,  and  March 
twenty-fifth,  which  would  then  be  considered,  as  the  beginning  of 
1635.  From  all  these  considerations,  the  probability,  therefore,  is, 
tli at.  no  settlement  was  made  in  Quascacunquen,  before  the  year 
l()-3o,  as  it  is  not  probable  that  the  first  settlers  removed  in  the  depth 
of  winter,  as  the  land  was  then,  according  to  all  accounts,  covered 
with  a  thick  and  heavy  growth  of  timber.  Horses  and  .carts,  as  a 
means  of  conveyance,  could  not  then  be  used,  as  nothing  but  a  narrow 
and  winding  footpath  led  from  Agawam  to  Quascacunquen.  The 
most  rational  supposition,  and  one  which  accords  with  all  the 
information  we  have  on  the  subject,  either  traditional  or  recorded, 
is,  that  they,  with  Henry  Sewall,  'wintered  at  Ipswich,'  and  made 
preparations  for  a  removal  in  the  spring.  The  first  notice  we  have 
of  their  determination,  is  given  by  Winthrop,  volume  1,  page  160, 
in  these,  words :  'at  this  general  court,  [May,  1635,]  some  of  the 
chief  of  Ipswich  desired  leave  to  remove  to  Quascacunquen,  to 
begin  a  town  there,  which  was  granted  them,  and  it  was  named 
Newberry/  In  the  colonial  records,  it  is  thus  noticed. 

1  Mai;  6th.  1 635.  Quascacunquen  is  allowed  by  the  court  to  be  a  plantation,  and 
it  is  referred  to  Mr.  [John]  Humphrey.  Mr.  [John]  Endicott,  captain  [Nathaniel] 
Turner,  and  captain  [William]  Tra'sk,  or  any  three  of  them,  to  set  out  the 
bounds  of  Ipswich  and  Quascacunquen,  or  so  much  thereof  as  they  can.  and 
tli;1  name  of  the  said  plantation  shall  be  changed,  and  shall  hereafter  be  called 
Newbenry. 

•'  Further  it  is  ordered,  that  it  shall  be  in  the  power  of  the  court  to  take  order 
that  the  said  plantation  shall  receive  a  sufficient  company  to  make  a  competent 
to\vne.' 

From  the  preceding  quotations,  it  is  apparent,  that  the  first  inhab- 
itants of  'Newberry'  obtained  'leave  of  the  general  court'  to 
reniove  to  Quascacunquen,  settled  there,  and  were  incorporated  as 
a  township  in  the  spring  of  1635.  If  any  persons,  prior  to  that 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  15 

period,  had  commenced  a  settlement  within  the  territorial  limits  of 
1  ould  Newbcrry,'  of  which  we  have  no  positive  proof,  they  must 
have  been  considered  as  intruders,  or  '  squatters,'  or  they  supposed, 
as  in  the  case  of  John  Perkins,  that  the  northern  limit  of  Agawam 
was  the  river  Merriraack.  Indeed,  we  are  told  that  when  Agawam. 
was  settled,  in  1633,  it  was  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Merrimack, 
and  on  the  West  by  Cochichawick,  [now  Andover.]  The  jurisdic- 
tion of  Masconomo,  the  sagamore  of  Agawam,  extended  from 
Naumkcag  river  to  the  Merrimack.  William  Wood,  in  his  '  New 
England  Prospect,'  thus  speaks :  '  Agawam  is  the  best  place  but  one, 
which  is  Merrimack,  where  is  a  river  twenty  leagues  navigable. 
All  along  the  river  side  is  fresh  marshes,  in  some  places  three 
leagues  broad.'  '  These  two  places  may  contain  twice  as  many 
people  as  are  yet  in  New  England,  there  being  as  yet  scarce  any 
inhabitants  in  these  two  spacious  places.'  He  was  in  America  in 
1633,  and  set  sail  for  England  on  the  fifteenth  of  August  of  that 
year.  At  that  time  we  know  of  thirteen  persons  only,  who  were  in 
Agawam,  besides  John  Winthrop,  junior,  namely,  the  twelve  who 
came  with  him,  and  '  Thomas  Sellan,'  who  on  'June  eleventh  was 
admitted  as  an  inhabitant.'  There  were  probably  fishermen  in 
various  places  on  the  banks  of  the  Quascacunquen  and  the  Merri- 
mac,  'where,'  says  Wood,  'much  [sturgeon]  is  taken,  pickled,  and 
sent  to  England,  twelve,  fourteen,  eighteen  feet  long.'  He,  as  it  will 
be  seen,  is  not  remarkable  for  his  accuracy,  either  respecting  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Merrimack,  the  width  of  the  fresh  marshes  on  its  banks, 
or  the  length  of  the  fish  in  its  stream.  We  will  there  fore  leave  him  and 
return  to  the  first  settlers  of  Newbury.  Uniform  tradition  asserts 
that  they  came  by  water  from  Ipswich,  through  Plum  island  sound, 
and  up  the  river  Quascacunquen,  [now  river  Parker,]  to  the  place 
they  had  selected  as  their  future  habitation.  Tradition  asserts  that 
they  landed  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  about  one  hundred  rods 
below  the  spot  where  the  bridge  now  stands,  and  that  Nicholas 
Noyes  was  the  first  person  who  leaped  ashore.  This  company 
was  few  in  number,  and  probably  consisted  of  Mr.  Henry  Sewall 
and  servants,  William  Moody,  his  wife  and  four  sons,  Anthony 
Short,  Henry  Short  and  wife,  ]Mr.  John  Spencer,  IMr.  Nicholas 
Easton,  his  wife  and  son  John,  Richard  Kent,  senior,  and  Stephen 
Kent,  brothers,  with  their  wives,  Richard  Kent,  junior,  and  James 
Kent,  brothers,  Mr.  Thomas  Parker,  Mr.  John  Woodbridge,  IMr. 
James  Noyes,  his  wife,  and  brother  Nicholas  Noyes,  Thomas 
Brown,  Richard  Brown,  George  Brown,  Mr.  James  Browne  and 
wife,  Thomas  Coleman,  Franc-is  Plumer  and  wife,  with  his  two 
sons  Joseph  and  Samuel,  with  a  few  others,  whose  names  are  not 
known  with  certainty.  For  a  short  time  the  business  of  the  town 
was  transacted  in  committee  of  the  whole,  but  the  population 
increasing  rapidly,  fifteen  ships  with  passengers,  having  arrived  in 
June,  one  in  August,  one  in  November,  and  one  in  December, 
bringing  with  them  many  families,  who  immediately  settled  in 
Newbury,  ;  the  plantation'  soon  received  ;a  suliicien!  company  to 


16  HISTORY    OF    NEWBUEY. 

make  a  competent  toune,'  according  to  the  order  of  the  general 
court,  which  in  the  same  month,  May,  1635,  ordered  the  same  men, 
namely,  Humphrey,  Endicott,  Turner,  and  Trask,  to  set  out  a  farm 
for  Mr.  Dummer,  about  the  falls  of  Newberry,  not  exceeding  the 
quantity  of  five  hundred  acres,  provided  it  be  not  prejudicial  to 
Newberry.'  At  the  same  time  '  liberty  was  granted  to  Mr.  [Richard] 
Dummer  and  Mr.  [John]  Spencer,  to  build  a  mill  and  weire  at  the 
falls  of  Newberry,  to  enjoy  the  said  mill  and  weire  with  such  privi- 
leges of  ground  and  timber  as  is  expressed  between  them  and  the 
toune,  to  enjoy  to  them  and  their  heires  forever.'^  The  court  also 
ordered  that '  no  dwelling  hous.e  shall  be  built  above  a  half  mile 
from  the  meeting  house  in  any  new  plantation,  without  leave  from 
the  court,  except  mills  and  farm  houses  of  such  as  have  their 
dwellings  in  toun.'  '  John  Humphrey,  esquire,  and  captain  Turner, 
were  ordered  to  set  out  the  bounds  between  Salem  and  Ipswich,  and 
Ipswich  and  Newbury,  before  midsummer  next,  and  also  to  view, 
and  inform  the  next  general  court  if  there  may  not  be  another 
toune  settled  conveniently  betwixt  them,  and  it  is  agreed  that  the 
bounds  of  said  tounes  shall  be  six  miles  apiece  into  the  country.' 
At  the  same  court,  [May,  1635,]  'it  was  ordered,  that  Mr.  [Richard] 
Dummer,  and  Mr.  Bartholomew,  shall  set  out  a  convenient  quan- 
tity of  land  within  the  bounds  of  Newberry,  for  the  keeping  of  the 
sheep  and  cattle  that  came  over  in  the  Dutch  shipps  this  yeare,  and 
to  belong  to  the  owners  of  said  cattle.'  These  'owners'  were 
Richard  Saltonstall,  Richard  Dummer,  Henry  Sewall,  and  '  divers 
other  '  gentlemen  in  England.'  With  the  exception  of  the  lands 
above  mentioned,  the  first  settlers  of  'ould  Newberry,'  granted, 
surveyed,  and  settled  the  lands  according  to  their  own  judgment. 
For  a  short  time,  a  year  or  more,  the  business  of  the  township  was 
transacted  in  committee  of  the  whole.  Mr.  John  Woodbridge  was 
chosen  their  first  town  clerk,  and  Richard  Kent  and  Henry  Short, 
lot  layers.  All  their  records  pertaining  to  grants  of  land,  are  full 
and  complete,  having  been  very  accurately  copied  into  a  new  set  of 
books,  now  called  the  '  Proprietors'  Books,'  which  for  many  years 
have  been  kept  separate  from  the  town  records.  As  there  are  a  few 
leaves  wanting  in  the  first  volume  of  the  transactions  of  the  town, 
the  deficiency  in  that  respect,  must  be  supplied  from  other  sources. 
In  the  records  of  the  court  at  Salem,  I  find  the  following. 

c  I  John  Pike  do  testifie  that  I  was  present  at  the  gathering  of  the  church  at 
Newbury,  and  I  did  hear  our  reverend  pastor  preach  a  sermon  on  the  eighteenth 
of  Matthew,  seventeenth  verse  ;  i  And  if  he  shall  neglect  to  hear  them,  tell  it 
unto  the  church :  but  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the  church,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as 
an  heathen  man  and  a  publican,'  wherein  he  did  hould  forth  that  the  power  of 
discipline  belonged  to  the  whole  church,  yt  the  matter  of  the  church  ought  to  be 
visible  saints  joyned  or  gathered  together,  that  the  manner  of  their  joyning 
together  ought  to  be  by  covenant,  yt  the  end  of  it  is  for  the  exercisinge  and 
enjoyinge  of  the  ordinances  of  Christ  togeather.  He  strongly  proved  his  doc- 
trine by  many  places  of  the  scripture,  both  in  the  old  and  new  testament.  The 

*  Court  records,  page  152. 


HISTORY  OF  NEWBURY.  17 

\vhirh  sermon  togeather  with  the  scriptures  did  much  instruct  and  confirme  us 
in  that  waye  of  church  discipline  which  as  I  understood  he  then  preached  for 
namely,  the  congregational  waye,  some  noates  of  the  said  sermon,  which  1 
then  took  from  his  mouth  I  have  here  ready  to  shew  if  you  please.  The  ser- 
mon being  ended  the  brethren  joyned  together  by  express  covenant,  and  being 
joyned  they  chose  their  pastor,  Mr.  Parker,  who  accepted  the  call,  and  joyned 
with  them"  according  to  the  covenant  aforesaid  ;  and  those  that  afterward  joyned 
to  the  church,  consented  to  the  said  covenant  explicit.  The  brethren  of  the  church 
acted  in  these  admissions  of  ye  members,  expressing  their  voats  therein  by  lifting 
up  the  hande,  and  soe  continued  together  lovingly  a  considerable  number  of 
yeares  untill  other  doctrine  began  to  be  preached  amongst  us.' 

1  Per  me  JOHN  PIKE. 

c  Sworne  in  court,  30  March,  1669. 

/Robert  Pike  also  testifies  that  the  meeting  was  on  the  sabbath  and  in  the 
open  air  under  a  tree.' 

'At  the  same  time  that  Mr.  Parker  was  chosen  pastor,  Mr.  James  Noyes  was 
chosen  teacher.' 

Similar  testimonies  were  given  by  John  Emery  and  Thomas 
Browne.  The  cause  of  these  testimonies'  being  given,  was  a  con- 
tention in  the  church,  which  was  carried  to  the  court  at  Ipswich,  as 
will  be  seen  under  the  years  1669,  1671,  and  1672.  They  give  us 
the  place  and  the  manner  in  which  the  church  was  formed,  but  not 
the  time.  It  could  not  have  been  earlier  than  the  month  of  June,  as 
John  Pike,  Robert  Pike,  and  John  Emery,  did  not  arrive  in  New 
England  till  that  month.  Tradition  states  that  Mr.  Parker  preached 
his  first  sermon  under  the  branches  of  a  majestic  oak,  which  stood 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  about  one  hundred  yards  below 
where  the  bridge  now  stands,  and  which,  like  the  auditory  it  once 
shaded,  has  long  since  crumbled  into  dust.  Under  the  same  tree, 
probably,  the  church  was  gathered,  and  their  spiritual  guides  set 
apart  .by  them  for  their  appropriate  work.  A  meeting-house  was 
also  built.  That,  tradition  informs  us,  stood  on  the  lower  green,  a 
few  rods  northwest  from  the  spot  where  captain  Enoch  Plumer's 
house  now  stands.  The  first  grave  yard  was  near  it,  as  appears 
by  a  petition  to  the  general  court  in  or  about  the  year  1647. 

A  house  for  the  ministers  was  built,  a  large  number  of  house  lots, 
planting  lots,  and  meadow  lots  were  granted.  How  many  houses 
were  erected  and  how  many  families  were  in  Newbury  during  the 
first  year,  there  is  no  record  to  inform  us.  Houses  were  erected  on 
both  sides  of  the  river  Parker,  and  on  Kent's  island,  and  as  then 
meadow  land  was  very  valuable,  and  in  fact  almost  essential  to  their 
very  existence  as  a  support  for  their  cattle,  many  were  built  on  the 
margin  of  the  meadows,  not  only  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Parker, 
then  called  i  the  Great  river,'  but  also  on  the  banks  of  the  <  Little 
river,'  as  far  as  Trotter's  bridge,  and  in  various  other  places,  so  that 
in  a  very  short  time  the  law  prohibiting  any  person  from  erecting '  a 
dwelling  house  above  half  a  mile  from  the  meeting-house  without 
leave  of  the  court,'  was  entirely  disregarded.  The  principal  settle- 
ment was  around  the  meeting-house  on  the  lower  green,  and  there 
was  to  be,  as  the  first  settlers  supposed,  the  future  commercial 
metropolis  of  Newberry.  During  this  year  sir  Henry  Vane  and 
3 


18  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

reverend  Hugh  Peter  arrived  in  Massachusetts,  grand  juries  were 
established  by  law,  the  circulation  of  brass  farthings  was  prohibited, 
and  musket  bullets  were  to  be  used  instead.  This  year,  August  fif- 
teenth, i  about  midnight  the  wind  came  up  at  northeast,  having  blown 
hard  at  south  and  southwest  the  week  before,  and  blew  with  such 
violence  with  abundance  of  rain  that  it  blew  down  many  hundreds 
of  trees,  overthrew  some  houses,  drave  ships  from  their  anchors. 
In  the  same  tempest  a  bark  of  Mr.  Allerton's  was  cast  away  upon 
cape  Ann,  and  twenty-one  persons  drowned.  Among  the  rest,  a 
Mr.  Avery,  a  minister  in  Wiltshire,  with  his  wife  and  six  small 
children,  was  drowned.'  '  This  Mr.  Avery,'  says  Cotton  Mather, 
*  went  to.  Neiuberry,  intending  there  to  settle,  but  being  urged  by 
magistrates  and  ministers  to  settle  in  Marblehead,  he  embarked  with 
his  own  family,  and  his  cousin  Mr.  Anthony  Thacher's,  all  of 
whom  were  lost  except  Mr.  Thacher  and  his  wife.' 

The  ship  angel  '  Gabriel,'  in  which  came  passengers  John  Bailey, 
senior,  and  John  Bailey,  junior,  who  afterward  settled  in  Newbury, 
was  4  lost  at  Pemaquid,'  now  Bristol,  in  Maine,  and  '  the  Dartmouth 
ships  cut  all  their  masts  at  St.  George.'  '  The  tide  rose  at  Narra- 
ganset  fourteen  feet  higher  than  ordinary  and  drowned  eight  Indians 
flying  from  their  wigwams.'  ^  '  The  effects  of  this  tempest,  one  of 
the  most  violent  and  destructive  probably  that  the  country  has  ever 
experienced,  were  visible,'  says  Morton  in  his  Memorial,  i  many 
years.' 

In  September  of  this  year  the  court  assessed  £200  on  the  towns 
in  the  colony.  Of  this  rate  Newberry  paid  £7  10s.,  Ipswich  £14, 
Salem  £16,  Charlestown  £15,  Boston  £25  10s.,  and  so  forth. 

In  the  court  records,  under  date  of  November,  1635,  is  the  follow- 
ing, namely : 

f  Whereas  Thomas  Coleman  hath  covenanted  with  Richard  Saltonstall  and 
divers  other  gentleman  in  England  and  here  for  the  keeping  of  certain  horses, 
bulls  and  sheepe  in  a  general  stock  for  the  space  of  three  years,  and  now  since 
his  coming  hither  hath  been  exceedingly  negligent  in  discharging  the  trust 
committed  to  him,  absenting  himselfe  for  a  long  time  from  the  said  cattle  and 
neglecting  to  provide  something  for  them,  by  reason  whereof  many  of  the  said 
cattle  are  dead  already  and  more  damage  likely  to  accrue  to  the  said  gentlemen  : 
it  is  therefore  ordered  that  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  said  gentlemen  to  divide 
the  oates  and  hay  provided  for  said  cattell  among  themselves,  and  soe  every  one 
take  care  of  their  own  during  the  winter.' 

The  tract  of  land,  which  was  set  apart  as  the  place  for  pastur- 
ing these  cattle,  was  near  the  falls  of  Newbury.  Of  this  land,  Mr. 
John  Spencer  had  a  mill  lot  of  fifty  acres,  Mr.  Richard  Dummer 
three  hundred  acres,  Mr.  Henry  Sewall  five  hundred  acres,  Mr.  John 
Clark  four  hundred  acres,  '  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  cart  creek.' 
Of  Mr.  Henry  Sewall  we  are  told  in  the  life  f  of  his  son,  judge 
Samuel  Sewall,  «  Mr.  Cotton  would  have  him  settle  in  Boston,  but 
he  preferring  an  inland  situation  on  account  of  his  cattle,  he  re- 

*  Winthrop,  vol.  1,  pp.  165,  166.  t  Quarterly  Register,  February,  1841. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  19 

moved  to  Newberry.'  How  lars:e  the  number  was  who  owned  stock 
in  the  cattle  community,  and  which  was  so  soon  dissolved  by  the 
negligence  of  shepherd  Coleman,  we  have  no  means  of  knowing. 
All  we  know  is  that  there  were  '  divers  gentlemen,'  not  only  here, 
but  'in  England,'  each  of  whom  soon  found  that  he  could  best  take 
care  of  '  his  owne  cattle.'  lu  the  division  of  the  land  throughout 
the  town,  the  first  settlers  recognized  the  scripture  rule,  '  to  him  that 
hath  shall  be  given,'  and  the  wealth  of  each  of  the  grantees,  as  well 
as  others  of  the  first  settlers,  can  be  very  nearly  estimated,  by  the 
number  of  acres  of  land,  which  were  granted  them.^  This  was 
according  to  the  rule  agreed  upon  in  London,  in  1 629,  by  c  the  assist- 
ants of  the  company,'  who  settled  Massachusetts.  They  gave  to 
each  adventurer  two  hundred  acres  for  every  d£50  he  put  into  the 
common  stock,  and  so  in  proportion.  <  Such  adventurers  as  send  over 
any  person,  were  to  have  fifty  acres  for  each  person,  whom  they 
send.'  Every  person,  who  transported  himself  and  family  to  New 
England  at  his  own  expense,  should  have  fifty  acres. 

This  year,  second  of  September,  '  Francis  Plumer  was  licensed 
to  keep  an  ordinary,'  f  that  is,  a  tavern.  • 

Mary  Brown,  daughter  of  Thomas  BrowTn,  the  first  white  child 
born  in  Newbury.  was  born  this  year.  May  thirteenth,  1656,  she  was 
married  to  Peter  Godfrey,  and,  'having  had  a  good  report  as  a  maid, 
a  wife  and  a  widow,'  she  died  April  sixteenth,  1716,  in  her  eighty- 
first  year. 

1636- 

This  year  the  general  court  enacted,  that ( every  particular  town- 
ship should  have  power  over  its  own  affairs,  and  to  settle  mulcts 
upon  any  offender,  upon  any  public  order  not  exceeding  twenty 
shillings,"  and  liberty  to  chuse 'prudential  men,  not  exceeding  seven, 
to  order  the  affaires  of  the  towne.' 

The  town  of  Newbury,  availing  itself  of  this  privilege,  chose,  l  by 
papers,' the  following  men,  namely :  !NIr.  Edward  Woodman,  Mr. 
John  Woodbridge,  Henry  Short,  Mr.  Christopher  Hussey,  Richard 
Kent,  Richard  Brown,  and  Richard  Knight.  They  were  at  first  called 
by  the  name  of '  the  seven  men,'  then '  towne's  men,'  then '  towne's  men 
select,'  and  finally  '  select  men,'  as  they  are  still  called.  They  'were 
chosen,'  says  the  reverend  Richard  Brown,  in  his  diary,  'from  quarter 
to  quarter  by  papers  to  discharge  the  business  of  the  town,  in  taking 
in,  or  refusing  any  to  come,  into  town,  as  also  to  dispose  of  lands 
and  lots,  to  make' lawful  orders,  to  impose  fines  on  the  breakers  of 
orders,  and  also  to  levy  and  distrain  them,  and  were  fully  impow- 
ered  of  themselves  to  do  what  the  town  had  power  for  to  do.  The 
reason  whereof  was,  the  town  judged  it  inconvenient  and  burden- 
some to  be  all  called  together  on  every  occasion.' 

About  this  time  it  is  probable  the  town   made  some  regulations 

*  See  appendix,  A.  t  Colonial  records. 


20  HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY. 

concerning  the  manner,  in  which  their  town  meetings  or  meetings 
of  the  '  freemen '  should  be  held.  As  the  town  records  are  lost  prior 
to  the  tenth  of  June,  1G37,  and  as  the  manner  of  proceeding  in  the 
neighboring  towns  was  essentially  the  same,  the  following  from  the 
Salisbury  records  will  supply  the  deficiency  : 

In  the  year  1640  the  town  '  ordered  that  in  the  first  of  every 
meeting  there  shall  be  a  moderator  chosen  by  the  companie.  He 
shall  have  power  to  interrupt  and  call  to  accompt  any  that  shall 
exceed  in  speaking  and  in  case  of  fayling  herein  he  shall  be  fyned 
at  the  discretion  of  the  companie,  and  in  case  the  moderator  shall 
refuse  so  to  doe  he  shall  for  such  offence  pay  two  shillings  ^tnd 
sixpence;  Also  that  every  freeman  shall  speak  by  turne,  and  not 
otherwise,  and  shall  signifie  when  he  is  to  speak  by  rising  or  putting 
off  his  hatt,  and  his  speech  being  ended,  shall  signifie  it  by  putting 
on  his  hatt  or  sitting  downe,  and  in  case  he  be  interrupted  by  the 
moderator  and  shall  refuse  to  cease  shall  forfeit  for  every  such  offence 
one  shilling.  Also  that  no  person  shall  depart  from  meeting  without 
leave  on  the  like  penalty/ 

In  Hampton,  New  Hampshire,  the  regulations  adopted  in  1641 
were  somewhat  different. 

4 1.  The  moderator  was  to  be  chosen  at  the  end  of  every  meeting 
for  the  next  succeeding  one.  2.  The  moderator,  if  the  elders  were 
not  present,  was  to  open  the  meeting  with  prayer.  3.  He  was  then 
to  state  some  proposition  or  call  on  some  one  to  do  it.  4.  When 
any  person  addressed  the  moderator  he  was  to  stand  up  or  put 
off  his  hat,  and  no  other  person  was  to  speak  at  the  same  time, 
or  be  talking  of  any  other  thing  (when  a  matter  is  in  agitation) 
within  the  meeting  roome.  The  clerk  was  to  call  over  the  '  freemen ' 
and  note  the  absent.' 

Such  substantially  were  the  rules  and  regulations,  adopted  by  the 
first  settlers  of  Newbury  in  their  town  meetings,  as  will  in  part  ap- 
pear hereafter. 

This  year  '  another  windmill  was  erected  at  Boston,  and  one  at 
Charlestown  ;  and  a  watermill  at  Salem,  and  another  at  Ipswich,  and 
another  at  Newbury.'  ^ 

This  mill,  the  first  erected  in  Newbury,  was  built  at '  the  falls,'  on 
the  river  Parker,  by  Messrs.  Dummer  and  Spencer,  in  accordance 
with  the  grant  from  the  general  court,  and  an  agreement  with  the 
town  in  1635. 

February  eleventh,  Newbury  neck  was  leased  to  Richard  Dummer 
for  two  years. 

This  year,  the  general  court  passed  the  following  sumptuary  law, 
to  which,  and  other  similar  laws,  allusion  will  be  frequently  made. 

*  No  person  after  one  month  shall  make  or  sell  any  bone  lace  or  other  lace  to 
be  worne  on  any  garment  upon  pain  of  five  shillings  the  yard  for  every  yard  so 
made  or  sold,  or  set  on,  provided  that  binding  or  small  edging  laces  may  be 
used  on  garments  or  linen.' 

*  Winthrop,  vol.  1,  p.  196. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  21 

Joshua  Woodman,  son  of  Mr.  Edward  Woodman,  was  the  first 
white  male  child  born  in  Newbury.  He  died  the  thirtieth  of  May, 
1703,  in  his  sixty-seventh  year. 

This  year,  the  third  of  March,  the  general  court  laid  a  tax  of  .£300 
on  Massachusetts,  of  which  Newbury  was  to  pay  £11  5s.,  Salem 
£24,  and  Boston  £37  10s.,  and 'ordered  that  courts  in  Essex  county 
should  be  held  quarterly,  two  in  Salem,  one  in  Ipswich  to  which 
Newbury  shall  belong.' 

May  twenty-fifth,  '  Newbury  men  were  fined  sixpence  apiece  for 
choosing  and  sending  a  deputy  to  the  court,  who  is  no  freeman.'  ^ 
iNIilitary  men  were  to  be  ranked  in  three  regiments,  of  which  one 
is  to  consist  of  Saugus,  Salem,  Ipswich,  and  Newbury.  Mr.  John 
Spencer  was  chosen  captain  for  Newbury.  Mr.  Richard  Dummer 
and  Mr.  John  Spencer  were  chosen  magistrates. 

In  the  month  of  March,  16ai,  '  Mr.  [John]  Endicott  of  Salem 
was  called '  before  the  court  '  to  answer  for  defacing  the  cross  in 
the  ensign ;  but,  because  the  court  could  not  agree  about  the  thing, 
whether  the  ensigns  should  be  laid  by,  in  regard  that  many  refused 
to  follow  them,  the  whole  cause  was  deferred  till  the  next  general 
court ;  and  the  commissioners  for  military  affairs,  gave  order  in  the 
mean  time,  that  all  the  ensigns  should  be  laid  aside.1  f 

At  the  next  court,  Mr.  Endicott  was  ordered  to  be  '  sadly  admon- 
ished '  for  cutting  the  cross  out  of  the  king's  colors,  '  and  to  be 
disabled  for  one  year  from  bearing  any  publick  office.'  He  was 
instigated  to  do  this  by  Roger  Williams,  who  considered  it  as 
c  a  relique  of  antichristian  superstition.'  In  1635,  each  military 
company  was  to  have  colors,  the  cross  to  be  left  out.  The  objec- 
tion to  the  cross  in  the  ensign,  was,  that  it  was  idolatrous  and  sinful. 
It  was  deemed  of  so  much  consequence,  that  '  the  ministers 
promised  to  take  pains  about  it,  and  to  write  into  England  to  have 
the  judgments  of  the  most  wise  and  godly  there.'  In  this  state  of 
feeling,  Mr.  '  Thomas  Milward,  mate  of  the  ship  Hector,'  and  who 
was  afterward  one  of  the  proprietors  of  Newbury,  '  spake  to  some 
of  our  people  aboard  his  ship,  [June,  1636,]  that  we  had  not  the 
king's  colours  at  our  fort,  we  were  ah1  traitors  and  rebels,'  and  so  forth.J 
Such  language  could  not,  in  the  opinion  of  our  fathers,  be  tolerated. 
He  was  accordingly  sent  for,  the  words  proved  against  him,  and  he 
committed.  He  was  discharged  on  signing  the  following  submis- 
sion, which  may  be  found  in  the  colonial  records,  1,  179. 

'  Whereas  I,  Thomas  Millerd  have  given  out  most  false  and  reproachful 
speeches  against  his  majesty's  loyal  and  faithful  subjects  dwelling  in  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay  in  America,  saying  that  they  were  all  traitors  and  rebels  and 
that  I  would  affirm  so  much  before  the  governor  himselfe,  which  expressions  I 
do  confess  (and  so  desire  may  be  conceived)  did  proceed  from  the  rashness  and 
distemper  of  my  own  brain,  without  any  just  ground  or  cause,  so  to  think  or 
speak,  for  which  my  unworthy  and  sinful  carriage  being  called  in  question,  I  do 
justly  stand  committed.  My  humble  request  thereforels,  that  upon  this  my  full 
and  ingenuous  recantation  oJ  this  my  gross  failing,  it  would  please  the  governor 

*  See  appendix.        t  Winthrop,  vol.  1,  p.  156.        \  Winthrop,  vol.  1,  pp.  187, 1S8. 


22  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

and  the  rest  of  the  assistants  to  accept  of  this  my  humble  submission  to  pass  by 
my  fault7  and  to  dismiss  me  from  farther  trouble  and  this  my  free  and  voluntary 
confession  I  subscribe  with  my  hand  this  ninth  June  1636. 

'THOMAS  MILLERD.' 

Shortly  after  this,  Mr.  Millerd  moved  to  Newbury,  and  became 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  town.  He  is  called  in  our  records 
(  Mr.  Thomas  Mil  ward,  mariner.'  This  scruple  concerning  the  use 
of  the  cross  in  the  colors,  continued  many  years,  as  we  shall  hereafter 
show.  The  whole  country  was  agitated  by  the  controversy,  and  in 
addition  to  this,  the  theological  difficulties,  and  prosecutions  growing 
out  of  the  '  revelations '  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  '  that  master-piece  of 
woman's  wit,'  as  Johnson  calls  her,  began  to  create  a  great  excitement. 

The  Pequods,  about  this  time,  were  beginning  to  be  troublesome, 
and  i  cattle,'  says  Winthrop,  '  were  grown  to  high  rates  ;  a  good  cow 
cost  £25  or  £30  ;  a  pair  of  bulls  or  oxen,  £40.  About  thirty  ploughs 
were  used  in  Massachusetts  this  year,  and  much  rye  was  sown.' 

In  November,  the  town  ordered,  that  'John  Woodbridge  should 
have  £5  a  year  and  be  free  from  all  rates  and  payments,  while  he  is 
the  towne  register.'  *  The  general  court  empowered  Richard  Dum- 
mer  and  John  Spencer  to  build  a  house  at  Winnicowett  at  the  ex- 
pence  of  the  colony.  The  architect  was  Nicholas  Easton  who  soon 
after  removed  to  Newport  and  built  the  first  English  house  there. 
The  house  at  Winnicowett  was  called  the  Bound- House,'  and  was 
situated  in  what  is  now  called  Seabrook.^ 


1637. 

In  April,  one  hundred  and  sixty  men,  under  the  command  of 
captain  Stoughton,  were  raised  to  go  against  the  Pequods.  Of  this 
number  Newbury  raised  eight,  Ipswich  seventeen,  Salem  eighteen, 
Lynn  sixteen,  and  Boston  twenty-six.  It  will  serve  to  give  the 
reader  some  idea  of  the  all-pervading  influence  of  the  theological 
discussions,  which  were  then  agitating  the  whole  community,  1o 
inform  him,  on  the  authority  of  Neal,  that,  these  very  troops  deemed 
it  necessary  to  halt  on  their  march  to  Connecticut,  in  order  to  decide 
the  question,  whether^  they  were  under  a  covenant  of  grace  or  a 
covenant  of  works,  deeming  it  improper  to  advance  till  that  momen- 
tous question  was  settled.  These  soldiers  were  to  have  twenty 
shillings  per  month,  lieutenants  £4,  and  captains  £6.  In  May  Mr. 
John  Spencer  was  discharged  from  being  captain.  This  was 
probably  owing  to  his  religious  tenets,  he  being  an  adherent  of 
Mrs.  Hutchinson.  '  Mr.  Edward  Woodman  was  chosen  lieutenant, 
and  Mr.  John  Woodbridge,  surveyor  of  the  armes  at  Newbury.' 
In  the  same  month  the  election  was  held  at  Newtown,  (now 
Cambridge,)  in  the  open  air.  Then  the  law  required  all  the 
1  freemen '  from  all  the  towns  in  the  province,  to  meet  at  the  general 

*  Belknap,  vol.  1,  p.  38. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  23 

court  of  elections,  and  choose  the  magistrates,  including  the  gover- 
nor and  lieutenant  governor.  This  practice  continued  till  1663. 
In  order  to  prevent  the  re-election  of  sir  Henry  Vane  as  governor, 
and  to  strengthen  the  friends  of  governor  Winthrop,  Henry  Sewall, 
junior,  Nicholas  Noyes,  Robert  Pike,  Archelaus  Woodman,  Thomas 
Coleman,  Thomas  Smith,  James  Browne,  John  Cheney,  Nicholas 
Holt,  and  John  Bartlett,  went  from  Newbury  to  Cambridge  on  foot, 
(forty  miles.)  qualified  themselves  to  vote  by  taking  the  freeman's 
oath^  seventeenth  of  May,  1637,  or,  in  other  words,  *  were  made 
freemen.'  ^  Winthrop  was  chosen  governor,  and  sir  Henry  Vane 
and  the  friends  pf  Mrs.  Hutchinson  were  in  a  minority. 

On  the  morning  of  May  twenty-sixth,  the  fort  of  the  Pequods 
was  attacked  with  fire  and  sword,  and  their  whole  tribe,  four  or  five 
hundred  in  number,  extinguished,  in  that  and  the  subsequent 
attack  by  captain  Stoughton  the  latter  end  of  June. 

In  August,  a  synod  of  ministers,  messengers  of  churches,  and 
magistrates,  was  held  in  Newtown,  (Cambridge,)  and  condemned 
above  eighty  erroneous  opinions.  The  general  court  then  took  up 
the  business,  and  proceeded  to  disfranchise,  or  banish,  or  disarm, 
many  of  those  who  held  these  erroneous  opinions.  '  A  great 
number,'  says  Hutchinson,  'removed  out  of  the  jurisdiction.'  The 
court  ordered  about  sLxty  of  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  to  be 
disarmed,  and  several  of  other  towns;  among  them  were  three 
belonging  to  Newbury,  Mr.  Richard  Dummer,  Air.  John  Spencer, 
and  Mr.  Nicholas  Easton.  Spencer  returned  to  England,  Easton 
went  to  Rhode  Island,  but  Dummer  remained  in  Newbury.  In 
June,  two  ships  arrived  with  passengers.  With  them  came  Mr. 
Hopkins,  I\Ir.  Eaton,  and  Mr.  Davenport,  and  many  others,  of  good 
note.  •  Great  pains  were  taken  to  induce  them  to  settle  in  Massa- 
chusetts. '  The  court  offered  them  any  place  they  would  pitch 
upon.'  '  The  town  of  Newbury  offered  to  give  up  their  settlement 
to  them,'  but  they  chose  to  remove  to  Connecticut,  where  they 
built  New  Haven,  and  so  forth. 

'  It  was  ordained  in  a  lawful  meeting,  November  fifth,  that 
whosoever  is  admitted  into  the  towne  of  Newbury  as  an  inhabi- 
tant thereof,  shall  have  the  consent  and  approbation  of  the  body  of 
freemen  of  sayd  towne.'  f 

'  The  seven  men,  mentioned  in  1636,  were  again  chosen  by 
papers,'  were  desired  to  serve  'for  one  quarter  longer  and  shall 
labor  in  the  case  according  to  what  the  Lord  shall  direct  to  doe 
according  to  what  is  prescribed/  if 

The  preceding  directions  to  the  selectmen,  remind  me  of  the 
following  extract,  which  may  be  found  in  Friend's  records,  in 
Rockingham  county,  New  Hampshire. 

'Hampton,  1707.  This  meeting  not  having  unity  with  John  Collins7  testi- 
mony desires  him  to  be  silent  till  the  Lord  speak  by  him  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
meeting.' 

*  Judge  Sewall's  diary.  f  Town  record.  J  Town  record. 


24  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

In  October,  Richard  Singleterry,  William  Palmer,  John  Moulton, 
Thomas  Moulton,  Nicholas  Busbee,  and  Abraham  Toppan,  were 
admitted  as  inhabitants  of  Newbury.  The  following  is  a  specimen 
of  the  form  of  admission. 

( Abraham  Toppan  being  licensed  by  John  Endicott  esqr.  to  live  in  this 
jurisdiction  was  received  into  the  towne  of  Newberry  as  an  inhabitant  thereof 
and  hath  heere  promised  under  his  hand  to  be  subject  to  any  lawful  order,  that 
shall  be  made  by  the  towne.'  * 

ABRAHAM  TOPPAN. 

In  the  same  month,  fourteen  individuals  were  fined  £4  155.  l  for 
defect  of  fences  whenever  they  shall  be  called  on.'  ^ 

'  In  September,  William  Schooler,  a  vintner  from  London,  was 
hanged  in  Boston  for  an  alleged  murder.  He  lived  with  another 
fellow  at  Merrimack,  and  there  being  a  poor  maid  at  Newbury,  one 
Mary  Sholy,  who  had  desired  a  guide  to  go  with  her  to  her  master, 
who  dwelt  at  Pascataquack,  he  enquired  her  out  and  agreed  for  fifteen 
shillings  to  conduct  her  thither.  But,  two  days  after,  he  returned, 
and  being  asked  why  he  returned  so  soon,  he  answered  that  he  had 
carried  her  within  two  or  three  miles  of  the  place,  and  then  she  would 
go  no  further.  Being  examined  by  the  magistrates  at  Ipswich,  and 
no  proof  found  against  him,  he  was  let  go.  About  half  a  year  after, 
the  body  was  found  by  an  Indian  ten  miles  short  of  the  place  he 
said  he  left  her  in.  About  a  year  after,  he  was  again  apprehended, 
examined,  arraigned,  and  condemned,'  f  on  circumstantial  evidence. 

In  November,  the  church  petitioned  the  general  court  for  relief, 
who  passed  the  following  order,  namely : 

1  November  2rf,  1637.  Whereas  it  appeareth  unto  this  court  that  the  inhabitants 
of  the  towne  of  Newbury  owe  divers  persons  neare  the  sum  of  £60,  which  hath 
been  expended  upon  publick  and  needful  occasions  for  the  benefit  of  all  such 
as  do,  or  shall,  inhabit  there,  as  building  of  houses  for  their  ministers  &c.  whereas 
such  as  are  of  the  church  there  are  not  able  to  bear  the  whole  charge  and  the 
rest  of  the  inhabitants  there  do  or  may  enjoy  equal  benefit  thereof  with  them, 
yet  they  do  refuse  against  all  right  and  justice  to  contribute  with  them.  It  is 
therefore  ordered  that  the  freemen  of  the  said  towne  or  such  of  them  as  shall 
assemble  for  that  end,  or  the  greater  number  of  them,  shall  raise  the  said  sum 
of  £60  by  an  equal  or  proportionable  rate  of  every  inhabitant  there,  having 
respect  both  to  land  or  other  personal  estate,  as  well  of  such  as  are  absent,  as  of 
those  dwelling  there  present,  and  for  default  of  payment  shall  have  power  to 
levy  the  same  by  distress  and  sale  thereof  by  such  persons  as  they  shall  appoint, 
and  the  same  being  so  collected  shall  satisfy  their  said  debts,  and  if  any  remain- 
der be,  the  same  to  be  employed  on  other  occasions  by  the  towne.7  $ 

November.  l  The  inhabitants  of  Newbury  haveing  been  moved 
to  leave  their  plantation,  the  court  granted  them  Winnicowet,  [now 
Hampton,]  or  any  other  plantation  upon  the  Merrimack  below  the 
first  falls,  and  to  have  six  miles  square,  and  those  that  are  now 
inhabitants  and  shall  remove  within  one  yeare,  shall  have  three 
yeares  immunity,  (as  Concord  hath,)  the  three  yeares  beginning  the 
first  of  first  month  next,  namely,  March  first,  1638.'  f 

*  Town  record.  t  Winthrop.  |  Colonial  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  J/  25 


1638. 

January  ISfh.  c  The  lease  of  the  neck  of  land  to  Mr.  Dummer 
for  two  years  being  expired,  the  towne  doth  take  it  into  their  own 
hands  and  intendeth  to  dispose  of  it  at  their  pleasure.'  =fc 

*  It  was  ordered  that  Richard  Knight,  James  Brown  and  Richard 
Kent  shall  gather  up  the  first  payment  of  the  meetinghouse  rate  and 
the  towne  rate  within  one  fourteenight  on  the  penalty  of  six  shillings 
and  eight  pence  apiece.'  ^ 

February  1st.  '  John  Emery  shall  make  a  sufficient  pound  for 
the  use  of  the  towne  two  rod  and  a  halfe  square  by  the  last  of  the 
present  month  if  he  cann.'  ^ 

'  It  is  agreed  that  Mr.  \Voodman  shall  have  a  house  lott  between 
Mr.  Eastoii's  and  the  river  provided  that  if  there  shall  be  a  fort 
built  by  the  waters  side  hereafter  that  then  his  lott  shall  give  way.'^ 

February  24th.  '  It  was  voted,  that  Thomas  Cromwell,  Samuel 
Scullard,  John  Pike,  Robert  Pike,  and  Nicholas  Holt,  are  fined  two 
shillings  and  sixpence  apiece  for  being  absent  from  towne  meeting 
at  eight  o'  clock  in  the  morning,  having  due  and  fitt  warning.'  * 

'  Having  taken  into  serious  consideration  the  weight  of  managing 
all  publick  affaires  and  being  desirous  that  those  whom  God 
hath  fitted  and  icho  necessarily  are  called  forth  unto  such  publick 
services,  may  not  be  overburdened  with  expense  of  time  and  other 
charges,  which  necessarily  attend  such  publick  busynesses,  but 
rather  should  be  encouraged  to  the  end  that  they  may  bear  that 
burden,  and  faithfully  discharge  that  service  to  which  they  are  called, 
and  considering  likewise  the  practice  of  other  townes  and  places  in 
this  government  in  putting  their  shoulders  to  help  bear  up  and 
sustain  this  common  worke,  either  in  person  or  estate,  or  both,  wee 
have  therefore  thought  fitt  to  settle  some  way  and  course  in  this 
behalfe  to  the  end  that  such  publick  busynesses  may  be  carried  on 
without  murmuring  by  any,  who  shall  be  appointed  thereunto,  and 
have  for  the  present  thought  fitt  that  those,  who  are  sent  for  deputyes 
and  grand  jurors  shall  be  allowed  two  shillings  and  sixpence,  for 
foure  dayes.  in  which  they  goe  and  returne,  and  twelve  pence  a  day 
for  every  other  day,  which  they  necessarily  attend  towne's  sen-ice, 
if  the  county  find  the  charges  of  diett,  otherwise  more  as  shall  be 
thought  fitt  upon  due  consideration.'  ^ 

April  14th.  i  It  is  ordered  that  Richard  Brown,  the  constable, 
shall  cause  a  sufficient  pound  to  be  made  by  the  twenty-first  of  this 
moneth  to  impound  swyne  and  other  cattell,  in  the  place,  that  shall 
be  shewed  him  and  of  that  largeness  which  shall  be  thought  fitt.' 

April  19th.  Two  constables  and  two  <  surveyors  of  the  high 
waves '  were  chosen  '  for  one  whole  yeere.' 

^This,'  says  \Vinthrop,  *  was  a  very  hard  winter.  The  snow  lay 
half  a  yard  deep  about  the  Massachusetts  from  November  fourth  to 

*  Town  records. 


26  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

March  twenty-third,  and  a  yard  deep  beyond  Merrirnack  and  so  the 
more  north,  the  deeper.' 

April  2lst.  '  Henry  Short,  John  Cheney,  Francis  Plumer,  Nicholas 
Noyse,  and  Nicholas  Holt  are  fined  two  shillings  and  sixpence 
apiece  for  being  absent  from  the  towne  meeting,  having  lawful 
warning,  and  so  forth.'  # 

It  was  ordered  that  '  Nicholas  Batt  shall  keep  the  herd  of  cows  ' 
eight  months  from  the  sixteenth  of  March  till  the  sixteenth  of 
November  for  eighteen  pounds,  '  nine  pounds  in  money '  and  forty 
bushels  of  corne, '  provided  he  is  to  keep  them  one  Lord's  day,  and 
the  towne,  two.'  ^ 

May  5th.  '  It  is  ordered  that  John  Pike  shall  pay  two  shillings 
and  sixpence  for  departing  from  the  meeting  without  leave  and 
contemptuously.'  %• 

William  Morse  was  the  keeper  of  the  '  towne's  heard  of  goates,' 
and,  4  as  part  of  his  wages,'  he  was  to  have  three  pence  for  every 
goate  above  a  yeere  old,'  and  Nicholas  Batt  was  to  have  twenty-two 
pence  for  every  cow  or  heifer  either  in  money  or  corn  at  seven 
shillings  the  bushel.' 

June  1st.  '  Being  this  day  assembled  to  treat  or  consult  about 
the  well  ordering  of  the  affairs  of  the  towne,  about  one  of  the 
clocke  in  the  afternoone,  the  sunn  shining  faire,  it  pleased  God 
suddenly  to  raise  a  vehement  earthquake  coming  with  a  shrill  clap 
of  thunder,  issuing  as  is  supposed  out  of  the  east,  which  shook  the 
earth  and  the  foundations  of  the  house  in  a  very  violent  manner  to 
our  great  amazement  and  wonder,  wherefore  taking  notice  of  so 
great  and  strange  a  hand  of  God's  providence,  we  were  desirous  of 
leaving  it  on  record  to  the  view  of  after  ages  to  the  intent  that  all 
might  take  notice  of  Almighty  God  and  feare  his  name.'  f 

June  19th.  '  It  is  agreed  that  Richard  Singleterry  and  William 
Allen  shall  have  each  of  them  four  acres  of  planting  ground  011 
Deer  island,  provided  the  island  be  not  [over?  ]  twelve  acres.' 

1  The  court  having  left  it  to  the  liberty  of  particular  townes  to 
take  order  and  provide  according  to  their  discretion  for  the  bringing 
of  armes  to  the  meeting  house,  it  is  for  the  present  thought  fitt  and 
ordered  that  the  town  being  divided  in  four  several  equal  parts,  sayd 
part  shall  bring  compleat  armes  according  to  the  direction  of  those, 
whom  the  towne  hath  appointed  to  oversee  the  busynesse  in  order 
and  manner  as  folio weth,  namely,  John  Pike,  Nicholas  Holt,  John 
Baker,  and  Edmund  Greenleafe  being  appointed  as  overseers  of 
the  busynesse,  are  ordered  to  follow  this  course,  namely.  They 
shall  give  notice  to  the  party  of  persons  under  their  severall  divisions 
to  bring  then:  armes  compleat  one  Sabbath  day  in  a  month  and  the 
lecture  day  following  in  order  successively  one  after  another  and  the 

*  Town  records. 

t  Town  records.  '  It  came,'  says  Winthrop, f  with  a  noise  like  continued  thunder, 
or  the  rattling  of  coaches  in  London.  The  noise  and  shakings  continued  about  four 
minutes.'  '  The  course  of  it,'  says  Hutchinson,  '  was  from  west  to  east.  It  shook  the 
ships,  threw  down  the  tops  of  chimnies,  and  rattled  the  pewter  from  the  shelves.'  'This 
was  a  very  great  earthquake  and  shook  the  whole  country.' 


O^r 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  27 

persons  afore  mentioned  shall  cause  every  person  under  their  severall 
divisions  to  stand  sentinell  at  the  doores  all  the  time  of  the  publick 
meeting  every  one  after  another  either  by  himself  in  person  or  by  a 
sufficient  substitute  to  be  allowed  by  the  overseer  of  the  ward.  And 
further  it  is  ordered  that  the  sayd  overseers  shall  diligently  mark  and 
observe  any  that  shall  be  defective  in  this  respect,  having  lawfull 
warning,  and  they  together  with  the  surveyour  of  the  armes  shall 
collect  or  distrain  twelve  pence  for  every  default  according  as  hath 
been  thought  fitt  by  order  of  the  court  in  this  case  provided.'  * 

Trumbull,  in  his  McFingal,  thus  alludes  to  this  practice  of  the 
early  settlers  in  Connecticut,  as  well  as  Massachusetts  : 

1  So  once,  for  fear  of  Indian  beating, 
Our  grandsires  bore  their  guns  to  meeting ; 
Each  man  equipped  on  Sunday  morn 
With  psalm  book,  shot,  and  powdei  horn, 
And  looked  in  form,  as  all  must  grant, 
Like  th'  ancient  true  church  militant, 
Or  fierce  like  modern  deep  divines, 
Who  fight  with  quills  like  porcupines.' 

July  6th.  *  Whereas  there  hath  bin  notice  taken  of  much  disorder 
in  publick  towne  meeting  by  reason  of  divers  speaking  at  one  and 
the  same  time,  some  walking  up  and  -downe,  some  absent,  and 
divers  other  miscarriages,  it  is  henceforth  ordered  that  if  any  person 
shall  offend  against  any  order  prescribed  in  this  case,  there  shall  |be 
exact  notice  of  such  offence  in  this  respect,  and  hee  shall  be 
censured  accordingly.'  * 

*  Mr.  Woodman,  Mr.  Rawson,  Abraham  Toppan  and  John  Knight 
were  chosen  [selectmen]  for  one  whole  quarter  and  till  new  be 
chosen.' 

4  There  is  granted  to  goodman  Goffe  some  fresh  marsh,  where 
Richard  Kent  mowed  hay  on  this  side  of  Mr.  Greenleaf 's  farme,'  and 
so  forth. 

August  6th.  l  Whereas  it  is  agreed  with  Mr.  Richard  Dummer  of  Newbury 
by  the  persons,  whose  names  are  underwritten,  hereunto  subscribed  that  in  case 
Mr.  Dummer  doe  make  his  mill  fitt  to  grynd  corne  and  doe  maintaine  the  same, 
as  also  doe  keep  a  man  to  attend  gryndirig  of  corne,  then  they  for  their  part  will 
send  all  the  corne  that  they  shall  have  ground  and  doe  likewise  promise  that  all 
the  rest  of  the  towne  (if  it'lye  in  their  power  to  promise  the  same)  shall  also 
bring  their  come  from  tyme  to  tyme  to  be  ground  at  the  same  mill.  And  it  is 
further  agreed  that  (the  aforementioned  conditions  being  observed  by  Mr. 
Dummer)  there  shall  not  any  other  mill  be  erected  within  the  sayd  towne. 

EDWARD*  WOODMAN. 

JOHN  KNIGHT. 

EDWARD  RAWSON. 

RICHARD  BROWN. 

HENRY   SHORT.' 

To  this  the  town  agreed  and  assented,  at  a  public  meeting,  October 
sixth,  1638. 

*  Town  records. 


28  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

August  Wth.  '  Thomas  Hale  and  John  Baker  are  appointed  hay 
wards  till  the  town  shall  appoint  new.'  ^ 

4  The  towne  hath  appointed  that  a  rate  of  twenty-six  pounds 
shall  be  made  speedily  and  gathered  within  one  fourteenight  for  the 
finishing  of  the  meeting  house.'  f 

4  At  a  general  towne  meeting,  twenty-eighth  of  September,  1638, 
it  was  granted  that  Mr.  [doctor]  Clarke  in  respect  of  his  calling  should 
be  freed  and  exempted  from  all  publick  rates  either  for  the  county  or 
the  towne  so  long  as  he  shall  remayne  with  us  and  exercise  his 
calling  among  us.'  # 

November  19th.  A  rate  of  twenty-six  pounds  was  ordered  to  be 
made  l  for  the  officers,'  [that  is,  ministers,]  '  rating  all  lands  as  they 
are  divided  at  ten  pence  or  five  pence  the  acre.'  ^ 

4  It  is  ordered  that  Edward  Rawson  shall  supply  the  place  of  Mr. 
Woodbridge  and  be  the  publick  notary  and  register  for  the  towne 
of  Newbury  and  whilst  he  so  remains,  to  be  allowed  by  the  towne 
after  the  rate  of  five  pounds  per  annum  for  his  paynes.'  * 

May  Tilth.  *  Newbury  was  fined  six  shillings  and  eight  pence  for 
defects  in  the  roads.'  f 

1  Anthony  Emery  was  fined  twenty  shilings  for  a  pound  breach 
and  to  give  thirteen  shillings  and  fourpence  to  Thomas  Coleman 
for  his  charges.'' f 

c  Newbury  was  fined  five  pounds  for  want  of  a  pair  of  stocks,  and 
time  given  till  next  court  to  make  them.'  f 

'  There  came  over  this  summer,'  says  Winthrop,  '  twenty  ships 
and  at  least  three  thousand  persons,  so  as  they  were  forced  to  look 
out  new  plantations.  One  was  begun  at  Merrimack,  and  another 
at  Winicowett,'  [now  Hampton.] 

Mr.  Edward  Rawson,  Mr.  John  Woodbridge,  and  Mr.  Edward 
Woodman,  were  chosen  commissioners  for  small  causes  in  Newbury. 

In  a  book  printed  in  London,  1638,  and  entitled,  '  a  true  relation 
of  a  battell  fought  in  New  England  between  the  English  and  Pequot 
salvages/  I  find  the  following  sentence  : 

1  They  that  arrived  out  there  this  year  [1638]  out  of  divers  parts  of  Old  England, 
say  they  never  saw  such,  a  field  of  four  hundred  acres  of  all  sorts  of  English 
grain  as  they  saw  at  Wintertown  there,  yet  that  ground  is  not  comparable  to 
other  parts  of  New  England,  as  Salem,  Ipswich,  Newbury,  and  so  forth.' 

1639. 

March  13th.  l  Plum  Island  is  to  remain  in  the  court's  power ; 
only  for  the  present,  Ipswich,  Newbury  and  the  new  plantation 
[Rowley]  between  them  may  make  use  of  it,  till  the  court  shall  see 
cause  otherwise  to  dispose  of  it.'  J 

In  the  spring  of  this  year,  Mr.  Ezekiel  Rogers,  who  had  arrived 
in  New  England  in  December,  1638,  with  about  twenty  families 
from  Yorkshire,  having  received  an  addition  to  his  company  of 

*  Town  records.         t  Colonial  records.          J  Colonial  records,  vol.  1,  p.  205. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  29 

about  forty  families,  settled  down  on  that  tract  of  land,  which  was 
incorporated  by  the  name  of  Rowley  in  the  following  September. 
This  tract  belonged  partly  to  Ipswich  and  partly  to  Newbury,  *  and 
because  some  farms  had  been  granted  by  Ipswich  and  Newbury, 
which  would  be  prejudicial  to  their  plantation,  they  bought  out  the 
owners,  disbursing  therein  about  eight  hundred  pounds.'  * 

The  proprietors'  records  of  Newbury  give  us  the  following  account, 
the  date  not  being  recorded  : 

1  The  towne  being  assembled  together  and  being  desirous  to  manifest  theyr 
earnest  desires  and  willingness  to  give  due  incouredgpnent  unto  the  worthy 
gentilmen,  who  desire  to  set  down  between  us  and  Ipswich  as  to  part  with  such. 
a  portion  of  land  as  cannot  any  way  be  expected  from  them,  or  they  may 
without  endangering  their  present  necessityes  afford.  Hoping  on  good  grounds 
it  may  fully  answer  their  desires  and  expectations  they  have  determined  as 
followeth : 

1  By  the  common  and  general  suffrages  of  the  body  of  freemen,  none  excepted, 
there  was  granted  to  the  said  gentilmen  all  the  upland  and  meadow  and  marish 
between  us  and  Ipswich  incompassed  by  the  line  heer  underwritten,  namely : 

1.  That  their  line  shall  begin  from  the  head  of  the  great  creek  between  the  great 
river  and  Mr.  Dummer's,  running  due  west  as  we  come  to  the  great  creek  being 
the  bounds  of  John  Osgood's  farm,  which  issues  into  Mr.  Easton's  river  and  above 
that  creek  all  the  lands  southward  of  Mr.  Easton's  river,  and  from  that  river 
from  the  path  leading  to  the  falls  to  run  a  due  west  line  into  the  country  a  mile 
and  afterwards  to  run  on  a  north  west  line  so  as  it  come  not  within  half  a  mile 
of  the  side  line  of  Mr.  Dummers  farm.  Likewise  it  comes  two  miles  distant 
of  Merrimack.  Provided  that  if  after  they  have  entered  by  buildings  or 
otherwise  on  this  part  of  land  granted  to  them  and  leave  off  from  going  on  with 
a  plantation  or  a  towne  between  us  that  then  the  grants  abovesaid  shall  be  void 
to  all  intents  and  purposes  and  to  remaine  the  proprietyes  and  inheritances  of 
the  towne  of  Newbury  in  as  ample  a  manner  as  before  the  grant  hereof  in  all 
respects/  f 

c  Another  plantation  was  begun  upon  the  north  side  of  the 
Merrimack  called  Salisbury,  another  at  Winicowett,  called 
Hampton.'  J 

The  reverend  Stephen  Bachiler  and  his  company,  who  had 
received  permission  from  the  general  court,  October,  1638,  when 
united  together  by  church  covenant,  commenced  a  settlement  at 
"Winicowett.  He  was  at  this  time  residing  in  Newbury.  On  ]\Ir. 
Rawson's  request,  the  place  was  called  Hampton.  The  following 
persons,  residents  of  Newbury,  went  with  ]\Ir.  Bachiler.  John 
Berry,  Thomas  Coleman,  Thomas  Cromwell,  James  Davis,  William 
Easton,  William  Fifield,  Maurice  Hobbs,  Mr.  Christopher  Hussey, 
Thomas  Jones,  Thomas  Marston,  William  Marston,  Robert  Marston, 
John  Moulton,  Thomas  Moulton,  Wrilliam  Palmer,  William 
Sargent,  and  Thomas  Smith.  Smith,  however,  soon  returned  to 
Newbury.  A  few  went  to  Salisbury.  Those  who  remained  deemed 
it  necessary  to  make  some  preparations  for  defence.  They  again 
contemplated  building  '  a  fort  by  the  water's  side '  just  below  where 
Parker  river  bridge  now  stands.  It  was  probably  never  built.  The 
records  say,  c  it  is  ordered  and  determined  by  the  body  of  freemen 

*  Winthrop,  vol.  1,  294.         f  Proprietors'  records.         J  Winthrop,  vol.  1,  p.  289. 


30  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

that  there  shall  be  a  walk  of  sixteen  feet  broad  on  the  topp  of  the 
great  hill  from  one  end  to  the  other,  and  a  way  of  four  feet  broad 
through  Stephen  Kent  his  lott.'  This  '  walk '  ran  east  and  west,  and 
the  '  way '  north  and  south  from  the  green  to  the  top  of  the  '  hill.' 
Near  the  centre  of  this  walk  the  place  is  still  pointed  out,  where, 
tradition  informs  us, '  a  sentry  box,  or  watch  house,  was  erected.'  It 
is  highly  probable,  from  appearances,  that  the  tradition  is  ^correct. 
The  position  is  a  commanding  one,  and  a  far  better  place  to  '  stand 
sentinell,'  than  '  at  the  doores '  of  the  meeting  house  *  all  the  time  of 
the  publick  meeting.' 

June.  '  There  was  at  this  time,'  "says  Winthrop,  ( a  very  great 
drouth  all  over  the  country,  both  east  and  west,  there  being  little  or 
no  rain  from  the  twenty-sixth  of  April  to  the  tenth  of  June.' 

In  consequence  of  the  complaints  against  excessive  wearing  of 
lace,  and  other  superfluities,  the  general  court,  September,  1639, 
1  ordered  that  hereafter  no  garment  shall  be  made  with  short  sleeves, 
whereby  the  nakedness  of  the  arme  may  be  discovered  in  the 
wearing  thereof,  and  such  as  have  garments  already  made  with 
short  sleeves  shall  not  wear  the  same  unless  they  cover  the  armes  to 
the  wrist  with  linnen  or  otherwise.  And  that  hereafter  no  person 
whatsoever  shall  make  any  garment  for  weomen  or  any  of  the  sex 
with  sleeves  more  than  half  an  ell  wide  (twenty-two  and  a  half 
inches ! )  in  the  widest  place  thereof  and  so  proportionable  for 
bigger  or  smaller  persons.' 

The  court  also  forbade  the  wearing  of  'immoderate  great  breeches, 
knots  of  rybands,  shoulder  bands,  rayles,  rases,  double  ruffs  and 
cuffes.' 

1  Edmund  Greenleaf  was  ordered  to  be  ensign  for  Newbury  and 
allowed  to  keep  a  house  of  entertainment.'  ^ 

'  Mr. was  fined  ten  shilings  and  sixpence  for  selling  strong 

water  without  license.'  ^ 

'  John  Bayley,'  senior,  of  Salisbury,  afterward  of  Newbury,  '  was 
fined  five  pounds  for  buying  lands  of  the  Indians  without  leave  of 
the  court,  with  condition  if  he  yield  up  the  land  to  be  remitted.'  ^ 

4  Richard  Bartlett  petitioned  the  general  court  and  was  granted 
twenty  pounds  according  to  his  petition.'  ^ 

'  Mr.  Edward  Rawson  is  allowed  five  hundred  acres  of  land  at 
Pecoit  so  as  he  go  on  with  the  business  of  powder,  if  the  salt-petre 
come.'  * 

The  people  of  Newbury  having  built  a  l  ministry  house,'  a  meeting 
house,  which  was  soon  used  as  a  school  house,  had  their  ferry 
established  at '  Carr's  island,'  and  become  an  orderly  community, 
began  not  only  to  lay  out  new  roads,  but,  as  they  were  rapidly  ex- 
tending their  settlement  farther  north,  to  take  special  care  of  the 
town's  timber  by  prescribing  a  penalty  of  five  shillings  for  every 
tree  cut  down  on  the  town's  land  without  permission.  Nearly 
the  whole  of  what  is  now  called  West  Newbury,  or  that  part  above 

*  Colonial  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  31 

Artichoke  river,  was  called  *  the  upper  woods/  The  common  land 
in  the  southerly  part  of  the  town  was  divided  into  the  'ox  common,' 
the  '  cow  common,'  the  '  calf  common,'  and  so  forth.  The  sheep 
and  the  goats,  of  which  the  inhabitants  had  many,  each  had  their 
prescribed  limits,  each  flock  were  under  the  charge  of  a  keeper,  and 
were  obliged  to  be  folded  at  night  to  protect  them  from  the  wolves. 
The  town  also  received  a  valuable  addition  to  its  population  in  the 
persons  of  Anthony  Somerby,  their  first  schoolmaster,  Henry 
Somerby,  Mr.  John,  Mr.  Richard,  and  Mr.  Percival  Lowle,  who  had 
been  merchants  of  Bristol,  Mr.  William  Gerrish,  and  Richard  Dole 
of  Bristol,  who  had  also  been  engaged  in  mercantile  transactions 
before  coming  to  Massachusetts.  Not  far  from  this  time,  though 
the  date  cannot  be  fixed  with  certainty,  captain  John  Cutting,  'ship 
master,'  and  Mr.  Thomas  Milward,  '  mariner,'  who  in  1640  owned 
a  '  shallop'  and  was  engaged  in  the  fisheries  at  cape  Ann,  came  to 
Newbury.  Mr.  Richard  Dole  commenced  business  as  a  merchant 
near  the  '  river  Parker,'  and  was  always  called  '  marchant  Dole.'  The 
town  granted  lots  of  land  which  were  called  the  'fishermen's  lots.' 
John  Knight  had  a  lot  of  land  granted  him  on  condition  that  he 
'follow  fishing.'  To  encourage  the  fisheries  the  general  court 
enacted  that  all  estates,  employed  in  catching,  making,  or  transporting 
fish,  should  be  free  from  all  duties  and  taxes,  and  forbade  '  all 
men  after  the  twentieth  of  the  next  month  to  employ  any  basse  or 
cod-fish  for  manuring  of  ground,  and  shall  forfeit  for  every  hundred 
weight  of  fish  so  employed  in  manuring  of  ground,  twenty  shillings.'^ 
'  All  ship-builders  and  fishermen  during  the  season  for  business 
were  excused  from  ah1  trainings.'  f  At  that  time  it  does  not  appear 
that  the  inhabitants  of  Newbury  had  ever  sent  any  vessel  over 
Newbury  bar.  Their  commerce  centred  in  'the  river  Parker,' 
and  came  up  by  the  way  of  Ipswich.  '  Merrimack,'  says  Hubbard, 
'  is  another  gallant  river,  the  entrance  into  which,  though  a  mile  over 
in  breadth,  is  barred  with  shoals  of  sand,  having  two  passages,  that 
lead  thereinto,  at  either  end,  of  a  sandy  island,  that  lieth  over  against 
the  mouth  of  sayde  river.  Near  the  mouth  of  that  are  two  other 
lesser  ones,  about  which  are  seated  two  considerable  townes,  the 
one  called  Newberry,  the  other  Ipswich,  either  of  which  have  fayre 
channels,  wherein  vessels  of  fifty  or  sixty  tons  may  pass  up  safely  to 
the  doores  of  the  inhabitants  whose  habitations  ar>:  pitched  neere  the 
banks  on  either  side'  $ 

The  first  vessels  built  in  Newbury  were  undoubtedly  erected  on 
the  banks  of  the  '  river  Parker,'  and  were  designed  for  the  fishery, 
and  for  the  '  coasting  trade.'  At  that  time  the  channel  of  the  river 
was  much  deeper  than  it  now  is,  or  vessels  of  fifty  or  sixty  tons 
'  could  not  pass  safely  up  to  the  doors  of  the  inhabitants.'  The  river 
Parker  was  once  celebrated  for  the  abundance  of  the  fish  in  its  stream. 
'  There  was,'  says  Hubbard,  'a  noted  plantation  of  them'  [Indians] 
at  the  falls  of  the  river  of  Newberry,  by  reason  of  the  plenty  of  fish, 

*  Colonial  records.  i  Hutchinson.  J  Hubbard,  p.  17. 


32  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

that '  at  almost  all  seasons  of  the  year  used  to  be  found  both  in  winter 
and  summer.'  =&  In  the  will  of  Richard  Kent,  who  died  in  1654,  I 
find  the  following  bequest.  *  Also  I  give  the  first  salmon  that  is 
caught  in  my  weir  yearly  to  Mi*.  Noyes,  and  the  second  to  Mr. 
Rogers  till  my  son  be  nineteen  years  of  age,'  and  so  forth.  After 
that,  his  son  might  do  as  he  saw  good. 

This  year  Anthony  Somerby  came  to  Newbury,  and  was  em- 
ployed to  teach  school.  It  is  thus  noticed  on  the  town  records : 

'There  was  granted  unto  Anthony  Somerby  in  the  year  1639  for  his  encour- 
agement to  keepe  schoole  for  one  yeare  foure  akers  of  upland  over  the  great  river 
in  the  necke,  also  sixe  akers  of  salt  marsh  next  to  Abraham  Toppan's  twenty 
akers.' 

1640. 

This  year  emigration  to  New  England  almost  entirely  ceased,  in 
consequence  of  the  political  change  in  the  affairs  of  England. 

4  This  sudden  stop,'  says  Hutchinson,  '  had  a  surprizing  effect  on 
the  price  of  cattle.'  Cows  which  had  for  some  time  sold  for  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  pounds,  could  now  be  bought  for  five  or  six  pounds 
each.  The  whole  number  of  neat  cattle  in  New  England  was 
estimated  at  twelve  thousand,  their  sheep  at  three  thousand.  The 
number  of  passengers,  who  had  arrived  from  the  beginning  of  the 
colony  in  two  hundred  and  ninety-eight  ships,  were  estimated  at 
twenty-one  thousand  and  two  hundred,  about  four  thousand  families, 
and  if  is  probable,  in  the  language  of  Hutchinson,  that,  since  1640, 
4  more  persons  have  removed  out  of  New  England  to  other  parts  of 
the  world  than  have  come  from  other  parts  to  it.'  The  number  of 
new  settlers  in  this  and  subsequent  years  was  small.  Among  them 
may  be  mentioned  Robert  Adams,  Henry  Jaques,  George  Little. 

The  great  influx  of  provisions,  the  cessation  of  emigration,  with 
various  other  causes,  occasioned  a  scarcity  of  money,  and  of  course 
a  great  abatement  of  the  price  of  all  commodities.  As  neither 
*  money  nor  beaver,'  says  Winthrop,  ;  were  to  be  had,'  the  court 
ordered  that  '  Indian  corn  at  four  shillings,  rye  at  five  shillings,  and 
wheat  at  six  shillings  should  pass  in  payment  of  all  new  debts.'  '  Men 
could  not  pay  their  debts  though  they  had  enough.'  i  And  he  that 
three  months  before  was  worth  one  thousand  pounds  could  not,  if 
he  should  sell  his  whole  estate,  raise  two  hundred  pounds.' 

Notwithstanding  the  distresses  of  the  times,  Winthrop  informs  us 
that  '  it  was  a  common  rule  that  most  men  walked  by  in  all  their 
commerce  to  buy  as  cheap  as  they  could  and  sell  as  dear,'  and 
complains  of  it  as  a  *  notorious  evil.' 

'  Most  men '  at  the  present  day  are  probably  liable  to  the  same 
charge,  '  notorious'  as  the  '  evil'  may  be. 

'  Henry  Sewall,  senior,  was  bound  over  to  his  good  behaviour  in 
sixty-six  pounds,  thirteen  shillings,  and  fourpence,  for  contemptuous 
speeche  and  carriage  to  Mr.  Saltonstall.'  ^ 

*  Colonial  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  33 

4  Mr.  John  Woodbridge,  presented  for  releasing  a  servant,  is 
discharged  by  paying  two  shillings  and  sixpence.'  ^ 

This  summer  Air.  John  Ward  and  some  inhabitants  of  Newbury 
petitioned  for  a  place  of  settlement. 

In  the  court  records  is  the  following,  namely : 

4  At  a  general  court  held  at  Boston  the  thirteenth  of  the  third 
month,  1(340,  [thirteenth  of  May,  1640,]  the  desires  of  Mr.  Ward  and 
Newbury  men,  is  committed  to  the  governor,  deputy  governor  and 
Mr.  Winthrop  sen.  to  consider  of  Pentucket  and  Cochichawick,  and  to 
grant  it  to  them,  provided  they  return  answer  within  three  weeks  from 
Ihe  twenty-first  present  and  that  they  build  there  before  the  nextcourte.' 
The  names  of  the  <  Newbury  merT'  who  with  Mr.  Ward  settled  Pen- 
tucket,  (now  Haverhill,)  are  these.  William  \Yhite,  Samuel  Gile, 
James  Davis,  Henry  Palmer,  John  Robinson,  Christopher  Hussey, 
John  Williams,  and  Richard  Littlehale,  with  four  others. 

The  same  month,  in  consequence  of  the  great  loss  which  governor 
Winthrop  had  suffered  'in  his  outward  estate,'  through  the  unfaith- 
fulness of  his  bailiff,  'the  elders'  agreed,  'that  supply  should  be  sent 
in  from  the  several  towns  by  a  voluntary  contribution.'  *  The  whole 
came  not  to  five  hundred  pounds  whereof  near  half  came  from 
Boston,  and  one  gentleman  of  Newbury,  INIr.  Richard  Dummer, 
propounded  for  a  supply  in  a  more  private  way,  and  for  example 
himself  disbursed  one  hundred  pounds.'  f 

4  This  unexampled  liberality  to  Winthrop  in  his  distress,'  says 
Mr.  Savage,  in  a  note,  '  is  a  more  satisfactory  proof  of  the  high  esti- 
mation in  which  he  stood  than  could  be  afforded  by  the  most  elab- 
orate eloquence  of  eulogy.  But  the  generosity  of  Dummer  is  above 
all  praise.  His  contribution  is  fifty  per  cent,  above  the  whole  tax 
of  his  town,  and  equal  to  half  the  benevolence  of  the  whole 
jnetropolis ;  yet  he  had  been  a  sufferer  under  the  mistaken  views  of 
Winthrop  and  other  triumphant  sound  religionists.' 

The  state  tax  this  year  was  £1200,  of  which  Boston  paid  £179, 
Ipswich  £120,  and  Newbury  £65. 

May,  1640.  '  Mr.  Edward  Woodman,  Mr.  Christopher  Batt,  and 
John  Cross  are  appointed  (when  the  way  is  settled)  to  settle  the 
ferry,  if  they  think  meet.'  ^ 

July  3t/,  1640.  The  town  of  Salisbury  granted  to  George  Carr, 
shipwright,  the  island,  which  still  bears  his  name. 

1641. 

This  general  court  desired  « the  elders  would  make  a  catechism 
for  the  instruction  of  youth  in  the  grounds  of  religion.'  In  compli- 
ance with  this  desire,  Mr.  James  Noyes,  of  Newbury,  composed  '  a 
short  catechism  for  tho  use  of  the  children  there.'  For  a  copy  of 
the  work,  which  was  reprinted  in  1714,  see  appendix,  B. 

k  Mr.  John  Woodbridge,  Mr.  Edward  Woodman,  and  Mr.  Edward 

*  Colonial  records.  t  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  p.  4. 

5 


34  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

Rawson,  appointed  commissioners  for  small  causes  in  Newbury.'  * 
*  Mr.  Rawson  instead  of  Mr.  John  Oliver.' 

1  At  a  court  holden  at  Ipswich  the  twenty-eighth   of month, 

1641,  George  Carr  is  appointed  to  keep  the  ferry  at  Salisbury  at  the 
island  where  he  now  dwelleth  for  the  space  of  two  years  provided 
that  he  find  a  sufficient  horse  boate  and  give  diligent  attendance. 
The  ferriages  are  as  follows,  namely.  For  a  man  present  pay  two- 
pence, for  a  horse  sixpence,  great  cattle  pay  sixpence,  calves  and 
yearlings  pay  two-pence,  goates  one  penny,  hoggs  two-pence.  If 
present  pay  be  not  made  that  hee  must  book  any  ferriage,  then  a 
penny  apiece  more.  If  any  be  forced  to  swim  over  their  horses  for 
want  of  a  great  boat,  they  shall  pay  nothing.  Per  curiam.'  f 

Johnson,  in  his  '  Wonder-working  Providence,'  published  in  1651, 
thus  speaks :  '  over  against  this  towne  [that  is,  Salisbury,]  lyeth  the 
towne  of  Newberry  on  the  southern  side  of  the  river,  a  constant 
ferry  being  kept  between,  for  although  the  river  be  about  half  a  mile 
broad,  yet  by  reason  of  an  island,  that  lies  in  the  midst  thereof,  it  is 
the  better  passed  in  troublesome  weather.  The  people  of  this 
towne  have  of  late  placed  their  dwellings  so  much  distance  the  one 
from  the  other  that  they  are  likely  to  divide  into  two  churches.' 

The  difficulty,  as  will  be  seen,  was  settled  without  a  division. 
f*  *  This  court,'  (February  second,  1641,)  says  Winthrop, i  having 
found  by  experience  that  it  would  not  avail  by  any  law  to  redress 
the  excessive  rates  of  labourers'  and  workmen's  wages  and  so  forth 
(for  being  restrained,  they  would  either  remove  to  other  places, 
where  they  might  have  more,  or  else  being  able  to  live  by  planting 
and  other  employments  of  their  own,  they  would  not  be  hired  at 
all)  it  was  therefore  referred  to  the  several  towns  to  set  down  rates 
among  themselves.  This  took  better  effect,  so  that  in  a  voluntary 
way,  by  the  counsel  and  persuasion  of  the  elders,  and  example  of 
some,  who  led  the  way,  they  were  brought  to  more  moderation  than 
they  could  be  by  compulsion.  But  this  did  not  last  long.'  J 

If  the  town  of  Newbury  at  this  time  passed  any  laws  regulating 
the  wages  of  laborers,  or  the  price  of  goods,  the  record  is  lost.  To 
supply  the  deficiency  we  shall  again  quote  from  the  Salisbury 
records. 

1  April  5th,  1641.  At  a  general  meeting  of  the  freemen  it  was  ordered  that 
the  year  shall  be  accompted  thus :  from  the  first  of  November  to  the  last  of  the 
first  month  [March]  shall  be  winter  months  and  the  seven  other,  summer  months, 
and  all  labourers  for  the  winter  months  shall  have  no  more  but  sixteen  pen'ce 
per  day,  and  for  the  summer  months  twenty  pence  per  day,  and  all  carpenters 
shall  have  two-pence  per  day  more  than  labourers,  that  is  eighteen  pence  per  day 
in  winter,  and  twenty-two  pence  per  day  in  summer.'  l  Also  that  mowers  shall 
have  no  more  but  two  shillings  per  day,  and  if  they  mow  per  the  acre  they  shall 
not  exceed  two  shillings  per  acre. 

'Also  that  no  man  shall  sell  clabords  of  five  foot  in  length  for  more  than  three 
shillings  per  hundred,  and  if  shorter  according  to  proportion,  and  if  they  cleave 
by  the  hundred  they  shall  not  exceed  sixpence  per  hundred  for  five  foot  in 
length. 

*  Colonial  records,    f  Court  records,  [i.  t,  county  court.]     \  Winthrop,  vol,  2,  p.  25. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  35 

'Also  that  noe  man  shall  sell  ani  sawn  bord  for  more  that  five  shillings  per 
hundred,  and  for  the  sawing  no  more  than  three  shillings  and  sixpence  per 
hundred,  and  for  slitt  work  no  more  than  four  shillings  and  sixpence  per  hundred. 

*  Also  that  butter  shall  nott  be  sould  for  above  sixpence  per  pound. 

1  Also  that  milk  shall  be  sould  for  three  half  pence  a  quart,  new  milk,  and  one 
penny  skimmed  milk  ale  measure.' 

From  the  above  extracts  it  is  evident,  that  what  are  now  called 
clap-boards,  were  originally  boards  that  were '  cloven,'  and  not '  sawn,' 
and  were  thence  called  '  clove-boards,'  and  in  process  of  time 
cloboards,  claboards,  '  clap-boards.' 

The  Hampton  records  give  us  a  similar  tariff  of  prices  with  this 
addition.  '  A  cart,  four  oxen  and  a  man  five  shillings  for  the  winter 
months  and  six  shillings  and  eight-pence  for  the  summer  months.' 

Early  this  year,  through  the  agency  of  Hugh  Peter,  '  a  man  of  a 
very  public  spirit  and  singular  activity  on  all  occasions,'  ^  a  ship  of 
three  hundred  tons  was  built  at  Salem,  and  soon  after  another  at 
Boston  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  tons,  called  the  Trial.  All  for- 
eign commodities  at  this  time  '  grew  scarce,  and  our  own  of  no 
price.'  *  Corn  would  buy  nothing — and  no  man  could  pay  his 
debts,  and  so  forth.  These  straits  set  our  people  on  work  to  provide 
fish,  clapboards,  plank,  and  to  sow  hemp  and  flax  (which  prospered 
very  well)  and  to  look  out  to  the  West  Indies  for  a  trade  for  cotton.'  * 
*  This  year  about  three  hundred  thousand  dry  fish  were  sent  to  the 
market.'  *  The  town  of  Rowley  made  laudable  efforts  to  raise 
hemp  and  to  some  extent  succeeded- 

;  These  straits,'  the  settlement  of  Hampton,  Salisbury,  and  Haver- 
hill,  the  establishment  of  a  ferry  at  Carr's  island,  and  the  addition  to 
the  population  of  five  or  six  wealthy  men,  who  had  been  educated 
as  merchants,  all  undoubtedly  conspired  to  extend  the  limits  of  their 
settlement,  and  to  make  the  centre  of  their  village  two  or  three 
miles  farther  north.  This,  however,  was  not  effected  without  much 
difficulty,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see. 

The  general  court,  determining  that  the  whole  of  New  Hamp- 
shire came  under  their  jurisdiction,  as  a  line  to  run  east  from  three 
miles  north  of  the  head  of  Merrimack  river  would  take  in  the  whole 
of  that  state,  passed  a  law  accordingly,  the  ninth  of  October,  1641. 


1642. 

The  winter  of  1641-2  was  unusually  severe.  '  All  the  bay  was 
frozen  over,  so  much  and  so  long,  as  the  like,  by  the  Indians'  rela- 
tion, had  not  been  for  forty  years.  It  continued  from  the  eighteenth 
of  November  to  the  twenty-first  of  February  so  as  horses  and  carts 
went  over  in  many  places  where  ships  have  sailed.'  f 

4  February  23d,  a  generall  towne  meeting.  By  the  generall  con- 
sent of  all  the  freemen  the  stinting  of  the  commons  was  referred  to 
Henry  Short,  Mr.  [Edward]  Woodman,  Edward  Rawson,  Thomas 

*  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  p.  24,  31.  t  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  p.  60. 


36  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

Hale  and  Mr.   [John]    Woodbridge,  according  to  their  best  judg- 
ments and  discretions.' 

Accordingly,  twelfth  of  March,  1642,  they  determined,  that  the 
several  numbers  or  rights  '  shall  perpetually  belong  to  the  several 
persons  to  whom  they  are  allotted  and  to  no  other  persons  whatso- 
ever, except  he  gett  them  by  purchase  or  some  other  legal  way,'  and 
that  'all  the  commons  within  the  limits  of  the  towne  shall  be  equally 
divided  into  three  several  parts  and  that  the  same  number  of  cattle 
that  are  allowed  in  the  stint  of  the  cows  and  oxen  shall  be  allowed 
in  the  heifer  common  and  a  third  like  quantity  of  young  cattle 
above  Mr.  Rawson's  farme.'  The  number  of  persons  was  ninety- 
one.  One  right  was  assigned  to  the  '  towne  house,'  one  '  to  lye  at 
the  towne's  appointment,'  one  to  '  the  ferry  lott '  and  three  'for  them 
that  shall  be  schoolmasters  successively.'  This  '  stint '  allowed 
five  hundred  and  sixty-three  cattle  in  each  of  the  three  pastures, 
namely  :  the  cow  common,  the  ox  common,  and  the  heifer  common. 
The  highest  number  of  '  rights '  was  sixty-two  and  a  quarter  to 
R.  Dummer,  the  lowest,  Lewis  and  Mattox,  one. 

On  March  twenty-first  '  the  town  also  ordered  that  all  commons 
and  waste  grounds  above  Mr.  Rawson's  farme  and  so  to  and  above 
Mr.  Dummer's  farme  to  our  line  next  Rowley  line  shall  lie  perpetu- 
ally common,  according  to  the  former  order  for  common,  the 
meadows  only  excepted  within  the  verge.'  ^ 

This  tract  of  land,  which  was  thus  '  ordered  to  lie  perpetually 
common,'  comprehended  not  only  a  part  of  Newbury,  but  nearly  the 
whole  of  what  is  now  called  West  Newbury,  now  containing  some 
of  the  best  farms  in  the  county,  but  then  considered,  with  the 
exception  of  'the  meadows,'  as  'waste  grounds,'  fit  only  for 
'  perpetual  commons.'  In  1686,  six  thousand  acres,  a  tract  more 
than  nine  times  as  large  as  the  whole  of  the  territory  of  Newbury  port, 
situated  above  Artichoke  river,  in  what  was  then  called  '  the  upper 
woods,'  was  divided  for  the  first  time  among  the  inhabitants.  It 
was  then  called  '  the  upper  commons.' 

From  the  first  settlement  of  the  town  till  this  year,  the  inhabitants 
had  made  the  '  lower  green,'  on  the  banks  of  '  the  great  river,'  as 
they  called  it,  their  central  place  of  business.  At  this  time,  however, 
a  majority  of  them  had  determined  on  a  removal  from  the  '  old 
town '  to  the  '  new  town.'  Their  reasons  for  this  removal  will  be 
given  from  the  records  in  their  own  words,  though  it  is  probable  that 
some  pages  are  lost.  It  thus  commences : 

1  Whereas  the  towne  of  Newbury  well  weighing  the  streights  they  were  in 
for  want  of  plough  ground,  remoteness  of  the  common,  scarcity  of  fencing 
stujfe,  and  the  like,  did  in  the  year  1642  grant  a  commission  to  Mr.  Thomas 
Parker,  Mr.  James  Noyes,  Mr.  John  Woodbridge,  Mr.  Edward  Rawson,  Mr. 
John  Cutting,  Mr.  John  Lowle,  Mr.  Edward  Woodman  and  Mr.  John  Clark,  for 
removing,  settleing  and  disppseing  of  the  inhabitants  to  such  place  as  might  in 
their  judgements  best  tend  to  theyr  enlargements,  exchanging  theyr  lands  and 
making  such  orders  as  might  bee  in  theyr  judgments  for  the  wrell  ordering  of 

*  Tristram  Coffin's  manuscript. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  37 

the  towne's  occasions  and  as  in  their  commission  more  largely  appeareth,  the 
said  deputed  men  did  order  and  appoint  John  Merrill,  Richard 'Knight,  Anthony 
Short,  and  John  Emery  to  go  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  towne,  taking  a  true 
list  of  all  the  stock  of  each  inhabitant  and  make  a  true  valuation  of  ^all  their 
houses,  improved  land,  and  fences  that  thereby  a  just  rule  might  be  made  to 
proportion  each  inhabitant  his  portion  of  land  about  the  ne\v  towne?  and 
removing  of  the  inhabitants  there.' 

'  It  was  ordered  at  a  meeting  of  the  eight  deputed  men  abovementioned  that 
each  freeholder  should  have  a  house  lott  of  foure  akers.  It  \vas  further  ordered 
that  in  respect  of  the  time  for  the  inhabitants  removeing  from  the  place  they 
now  inhabit  to  that,  which  is  layd  out  and  appointed  for  their  new  habitations, 
each  inhabitant  shall  have  their  house  lotts  foure  years  from  the  day  of  the  date 
of  this  commission/ 

The  day  of  the  month  is,  however,  not  given.  However  great 
might  be  the  difficulties  they  found  in  remaining  together,  still 
greater  ones  in  some  respects  awaited  their  removal.  As  it  has  often 
been  since,  both  here  and  elsewhere,  the  main  object  of  their 
contention  was  their  meeting-house.  The  minority,  that  remained, 
were  unwilling  to  have  the  house  removed,  and  the  majority  were 
equally  unwilling  to  go  without  it,  and  when  it  was  removed,  where 
to  place  it  was  the  difficulty,  and  it  was  not  until  four  years  after, 
and  then  not  without  great  opposition,  that  a  decision  was  finally 
made. 

The  first  intimation  that  we  have  of  a  new  place  to  set  the 
meeting-house  upon,  is  contained  in  the  following  grant : 

4  There  was  granted  unto  Mr.  James  Noyes  that  four  acres  of 
land  upon  the  hill  by  the  little  pine  swamp,  which  was  marked  to 
sett  the  meeting  house  about  the  year  164*2.'  # 

This  year  it  appears  that  the  fishing  business  commenced  on  the 
Merrimack.  On  the  twenty-sixth  of  March,  1642,  the  town  of 
Salisbury  '  granted  to  Robert*  Ring  two  acres  of  upland  upon  the 
island  f  over  against  Watts'  sellar  J  to  be  employed  about  fishing 
for  two  years.' 

In  the  year  1671,  '  Robert  Ring  testifies  that  he  did  build  a  cellar 
upon  that  land  and  a  little  house  and  did  keep  fishing  there  and  did 
set  up  stages  upon  the  salt  marsh,  being  a  little  cove  next  the  river 
and  this  was  about  twenty-nine  years  agoe.'  1671 — 29=1642. 

The  house  of  commons  this  year  passed  a  resolve,  exempting 
from  custom,  subsidy,  or  taxation,  the  exports  and  imports  of  New 
England. 

In  September  the  governor  of  Massachusetts  received  information 
from  Connecticut,  that  *  the  Indians  all  over  the  country  had  combined 
themselves  to  cut  off  the  English.'  §  It  was  therefore  thought  fitt 
to  disarm  all  the  Indians  who  were  within  our  jurisdiction.  A 
warrant  was  accordingly  sent  to  Ipswich,  Rowley,  and  Newbury,  <  to 
disarm  Passaconaway,  who  lived  by  Merrimack.'  '  The  next  day, 
being  Lord's  day,  forty  armed  men  were  sent  for  that  purpose,  but 

*  Proprietors'  records,  p.  12.  f  Ring's  island. 

t ;  Watt's  cellar '  stood  near  where  Newburyport  market-house  now  stands. 

§  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  pp.  78,  87. 


38  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

as  it  rained  all  day,  they  could  not  go  to  his  wigwam,  but  went  to 
his  son's  and  took  him  which  they  had  warrant  for,  and  a  squaw  and 
her  child,  which  they  had  not  warrant  for,'  #  wherefore  fearing  the 
consequences  '  an  order  was  sent  to  lieutenant  Greenleaf,  or  in  his 
absence  to  Mr.  Woodman  for  sending  home  the  Indian  woman  and 
child  from  Newbury  and  to  send  to  Passaconaway  for  satisfaction.'  f 

On  the  fifteenth  of  November,  Passaquo  and  Saggahew,  with 
the  consent  of  the  above-mentioned  Passaconaway,  sold  for  £3  10s. 
'  to  the  inhabitants  of  Pen  tucket,'  now  Haverhill,  a  tract  of  land 
fourteen  miles  long  and  six  miles  broad,  'with  ye  isleand  and  the 
river  that  ye  isleand  stands  in,'  and  so  forth.  Among  the  witnesses 
to  this  deed  was  Tristram  Coffyn,  who  this  year  came  to  New  Eng- 
land, and  went  from  Salisbury  to  Haverhill. 

In  September,  '  nine  bachelors  commenced  at  Cambridge,  young 
men  of  good  hope.'  ^  It  was  the  first  class  that  graduated  at 
Harvard  college.  The  students  then  took  their  degrees,  and  are  ar- 
ranged in  the  catalogue,  according  to  the  rank  of  their  parents.  The 
first  graduate  was  Benjamin  Woodbridge  of  Newbury.  See  appen- 
.dix,  C. 

December  7th,  1642.  '  The  men  deputed  for  the  managing  of 
those  things  that  concerned  the  ordering  of  the  new  towne,  declared 
and  ordered  according  to  the  former  intentions  of  the  towne  that 
the  persons  only  abovementioned  [ninety-one  in  all,]  (see  appendix, 
letter  D,)  are  acknowledged  to  be  freeholders  by  the  towne  and  to 
have  a  proportionable  right  in  all  waste  lands,  commons  and  rivers 
undisposed  and  such  as  from,  by  or  under  them,  or  any  of  them  or 
thcyr  heyrs,  have  bought,  granted  or  purchased  from  them  or  any  of 
them  theyr  right  and  title  thereunto  and  none  else,  provided  also 
that  no  freeholder  shall  bring  in  any  cattle  of  other  men's  or  townes, 
on  the  towne's  commons  above  or  beyond  theyr  proportions  other- 
wise than  the  freemen  shall  permit.'  $ 

1643. 

This  year,  the  fifth  of  March,  '  at  seven  in  the  morning,  being  the 
Lord's  day,  there  was  a  great  earthquake.  It  came  with  a  rumbling 
noise  like  the  former  but  through  the  Lord's  mercy  it  did  no  harm.' § 

March  2Sth.  The  town  ( ordered  that  every  house  lott  shall  be 
foure  acres '  and  *  that  he  that  hath  least  land  in  the  new  towne  shall 
have  eight  acres  except  John  Swett,  Thomas  Silver  and  John 
Russe.'  f 

'  For  the  confirmation  of  all  men's  proprietyes,  and  direction 
likewise  for  the  exchanges  in  the  new  towne,  itt  is  ordered  that  all 
the  lands  as  they  are  entered  into  the  towne's  book  shall  be  estab- 
lished and  confirmed  to  the  owners  according  as  they  are  entered, 
unlesse  that  any  man  shall  bring  in  just  and  right  exception  against 
any  man's  portion  of  land  within  fourteene  days  after  this  time  to 

*  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  pp.  78,  87.  t  Colonial  records. 

J  Town  records.  §  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  p.  93. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  39 

Mr.  Lowle,  and  if  there  come  in  none,  then  the  owners  thereof  shall 
quietly  and  peaceably  thenceforth  enjoy  the  same  and  shall  have  lib- 
erty to  buy  or  exchange  the  same  or  any  part  or  parcels  thereof  as 
they  please.'  ^ 

'Corn,'  says  Winthrop,  'was  very  scarce  all  over  the  country  and 
many  families  in  most  towns  had  none  to  eat  by  the  end  of  April, 
but  were  forced  to  live  of  clams,  muscles,  dry  fish,  and  so  forth,  but 
the  merchants  had  great  success  in  the  sale  of  their  pipe-staves  and 
fish.'  The  Trial,  of  Boston,  'made  a  good  voyage,  which  'encour- 
aged the  merchants  and  made  wine,  sugar  and  cotton  very  plentiful 
and  cheap  in  the  country.'  f  '  Our  supplies  from  England  failing 
much,  men  began  to  look  about  them,  and  fell  to  a  manufacture  of 
cotton,  whereof  we  had  store  from  Barbadoes,  and  of  hemp  and 
flax,  wherein  Rowley,  to  their  great  commendation,  exceeded  all 
other  towns/  f 

This  year  the  thirty  towns  in  the  colony  were  divided  into  four 
counties,  Essex,  Middlesex,  Norfolk,  and  Suffolk.  Norfolk  contained 
Salisbury,  Haverhill,  Exeter,  Dover,  and  Portsmouth.  Essex  was  as 
it  now  is  with  the  exception  of  the  first  two  towns. 

This  year  also,  May  nineteenth,  the  colonies  of  Massachusetts, 
New- Plymouth,  Connecticut,  and  New  Haven,  adopted  articles  of 
confederation  for  their  mutual  advantage. 

July  5th.  *  There  arose  a  sudden  gust  at  northwest  so  violent 
for  an  hour  as  it  blew  down  multitudes  of  trees.  It  lifted  up  their 
meeting  house  at  Newbury,  the  people  being  in  it.  It  darkened  the 
air  with  dust,  yet  through  God's  great  mercy  it  did  no  hurt,  but 
only  killed  one  Indian  with  the  fall  of  a  tree.  It  was  straight  J  be- 
tween Linne  and  Hampton.'§  This  was  a  removal  of  their  meeting- 
house which  neither  party  anticipated.  It  was  then  standing  on 
the  lower  green. 

August  4th.  '  There  was  an  assembly  at  Cambridge  of  all  the 
elders  in  the  country  (about  fifty  in  all)  such  of  the  ruling  elders,  as 
would,  were  present  also,  none  else.  The  principal  occasion  was 
because  some  of  the  elders  went  about  to  set  up  some  things  accord- 
ing to  the  presbytery  as  of  Newbury  and  so  forth.  The  assembly 
concluded  against  some  parts  of  the  presbyterial  way  and  the 
Newbury  ministers  took  time  to  consider  the  arguments,'  and  so 
forth.§  '  There  was  little  rain  this  winter  and  no  snow  till  the  third 
of  March,  the  wind  continuing  west  and  northwest  near  six  weeks.'  § 

1644- 

'Jamw.ry  Wth.  Remembering  the  severall  inconveniencyes, 
multiplicity  of  suites  and  vexations  arising  from  the  insufficiency 
of  fences,  which  to  remedy  in  the  old  towne  hath  been  so  difficult, 
yett  in  our  removal  to  the  place  appointed  for  the  new  towne  may 

*  Town  records.  t  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  pp.  94,  95. 

\  l  Straight,'  that  is, :  narrow  in  extent  between  Lynn  and  Hampton.' 
§  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  pp.  124,  136,  155. 


40  HISTORY    OF    NEWBUHY. 

easily  be  prevented.  Itt  is  therefore  ordered  that  all  fences  generall 
and  particular  at  the  first  setting-  up  shall  be  made  so  sufficient  as  to 
keepe  out  all  manner  of  swyne  and  other  cattle  great  or  small  and 
at  whose  fence  or  part  of  fence  any  swyne  or  other  cattle  shall 
break  thorough,  the  party  owning  the  fence  shall  not  only  beare  and 
suffer  all  the  damages,  but  shall  further  pay  for  each  rod'  so  insuffi- 
cient the  somme  of  two  shillings '  and  so  forth.  '  It  is  likewise 
ordered  that  the  owners  of  all  such  cattle  as  the  towne  shall  declare 
to  be  unruly  and  excessively  different  from  all  other  cattle  shall  pay 
all  the  damages  their  unruly  cattle  shall  doe  in  breaking  thorough 
fences.'  ^ 

'•In  consideration  of  Mr.  Rawson's  keeping  the  towne  book  it  is 
ordered  by  us  according  to  our  power  from  the  towne  and  courte 
granted  to  us,  that  he  shall  be  freed  and  exempted  from  all  towne 
rates  for  one  whole  yeare  from  the  twenty-ninth  of  September  last 
to  the  twenty-ninth  of  September  next  1644.'  ^ 

*  January  llth.  Itt  is  hereby  ordered  and  determined  by  the 
orderers  of  the  towne  affaires  that  the  plan  of  the  new  towne  is,  and 
shall  be  laid  out  by  the  lott  layers  as  the  house  lotts  were  determined 
by  their  choice,  beginning  from  the  farthermost  house  lott  in  the 
South  streete  [now  called  West  India  lane]  thence  running  through 
the  Pine  swampe,  thence  up  the  High  streete,  numbering  the  lotts  in 
the  East  street  to  John  Bartlett's  lott  the  twenty-ninth  then  through 
the  west  side  of  the  High  streete  to  Mr.  Lowell's  the  twrenty -eighth 
and  so  to  the  end  of  that  streete,  then  JMMMWfc  the  Field  streete  to 
Mr.  Woodman's  the  forty-first,  thence  to  the  end  of  that  streete 
to  John  Cheney's  the  fiftieth  then  turning  to  the  first  cross  street 
to  John  Emery's  the  fifty-first  thence  comming  up  from  the  river 
side  on  the  east  side  of  the  same  streete  to  the  other  streete  the  west 
side  to  Daniel  Pierce's  the  fifty-seventh  and  so  to  the  river  side  on 
the  side  the  streete  to  Mr.  Clarke  and  others  to  Francis  Plummer  the 
sixty-sixth  as  heereinunder  by  names  and  figures  appeare.'  ^  Here 
follow,  in  the  original  record,  the  names  of  sixty-five  men  and  three 
women.  There  is  also  one  lot  called  '  the  ferry  lott,'  and  one  to 
'  John  Indian.'  This  is  the  first  intimation  we  have  on  the  records, 
that  there  were  any  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  residing  in  New- 
bury.  His  lot  is  numbered  sixty-one.  The  numbers  of  the  lots 
which  they  chose,  are  affixed  to  the  names,  except  seventeen.  The 
highest  number  given  is  sixty-six.  The  tract  of  land  which  was 
laid  out  as  the  'new  towne,'  contained,  probably,  about  seven 
hundred  acres.  The  exact  limits  of  the  'new  towne'  cannot  be 
accurately  ascertained,  as  the  original  plan  is  lost.  It,  however, 
extended  farther  north  and  south  than  the  town  of  Newburyport 
now  does,  but  not  so  far  west,  and  east  by  the  waters  of  the 
Merrimac. 

On  the  same  day  they  determined,  that  '  their  lands  shall  be  liable 
to  maintaine  all  publick  towne  charges,  as  ministry  and  such  like, 

#  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  41 

and  that  thereby  they  acknowledge  their  lands.'  *  They  also 
annexed  a  penalty  of  two  shillings  and  sixpence  for  every  tree"'  fit  for 
timber  or  fence '  within  certain  prescribed  limits,  and  '  that  all  trees 
already  felled  shall  be  under  the  like  penalty,'  and  '  the  trees  shall 
lye  and  remayne  on  the  ground,  till  the  party  be  knowne  to  whom 
the  land  belongs  that  so  paying  for  the  labour  he  may  have  them  to 
serve  his  occasions.1* 

March.  '  Upon  the  motion  of  the  deputies '  to  the  general  court, 
1  it  was  ordered  that  the  court  should  be  divided  in  their  consulta- 
tions, the  magistrates  by  themselves,  and  the  deputies  by  themselves, 
what  the  one  agreed  upon  they  should  send  to  the  other,  and  if  both 
agreed,  then  to  pass  and  so  forth.  This  order  determined  the  great 
contention  about  the  negative  voice.'  f  From  this  division  origi- 
nated the  phraseology,  upper  and  lower  house,  in  consequence  of 
the  deputies  holding  their  sessions  in  the  lower  story,  and  the 
magistrates  occupying  the  room  over  their  heads.  We  still  hear 
the  phrases  <  sent  up '  or  *  sent  down,  for  concurrence,'  when  in  fact 
both  houses  are  on  the  same  floor. 

June  5th.  i  Two  of  our  ministers'  sons,'  says  Winthrop,  'being 
students  in  the  college,  robbed  two  dwelling  houses  in  the  night  of 
some  fifteen  pounds.  Being  found  out  they  were  ordered  by  the 
governors  of  the  college  to  be  there  whipped,  which  was  performed 
by  the  president  himself.'  This  was  probably  the  first  instance  of 
the  infliction  of  such  a  punishment  within  the  walls  of  old  Harvard. 
4  The  names  of  these  offenders '  has  escaped  the  notice  of  .Mr. 
Savage,  whose  information  concerning  the  early  history  of  New 
England,  is  as  remarkable  for  its  variety  and  extent  as  its  accuracy. 
Their  names  were  James  Ward,  son  of  Nathaniel  Ward  of  Ipswich, 
and  ****  Welde  of  Roxbury,  son  of  reverend  Thomas  Welde. 
They  robbed  the  houses  of  Joshua  Hewes,  and  Joseph  Welde,  the 
one  in  March,  the  other  in  April,  of  eleven  pounds  in  money,  and 
thirty  shillings  worth  of  gunpowder. 

April  Wth.  '  There  was  laid  out  unto  John  Emery  junior,  four- 
score akers  of  upland,  bee  it  more  or  lesse  joyneing  unto  Merri- 
macke  river  on  the  north  and  running  from  the  mouth  of  Artichoke 
river  unto  a  marked  tree  by  a  swampe  on  the  northwest  corner 
being  about  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  rods  long  at  the  head 
of  the  cove  thence  about  an  hundred  rods  to  the  southwest 
corner,  thence  running  on  a  strait  lyne  about  an  hundred  and 
fifty-six  rods  to  Artichoke  river  on  the  east  about  eighty  rods 
broad.'  * 

In  this  month,  June,  William  Franklin,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Newbury,  and  one  of  the  ninety-one  grantees  in  1642,  was  hung  in 
Boston,  for  murder.  '  He  had  been  found  at  the  last  court  of  assist- 
ants, guilty  of  murder,  but  some  of  the  magistrates,  doubting  of 
the  justice'  of  the  case,  he  was  preserved  till  the  next  [this]  court  of 
assistants.  The  case  was  this.  He  had  taken  to  apprentice  one 

*  Town  records.  t  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  p.  160. 

6 


42  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

Nathaniel  Sewell,  one  of  those  children  sent  over  the  last  year' 
from  England.  '  He  used  him  with  continual  rigor  and  unmerciful 
correction,  and  exposed  him  many  times  to  much  cold  and  wet  in 
the  winter  season,  and  used  divers  acts  of  rigor  towards  him,  as 
hanging  him  in  the  chimney  and  so  forth  and  the  boy  being  very 
poor  and  weak  he  tied  him  upon  an  horse  and  so  brought  him 
(sometimes  sitting  and  sometimes  hanging  down)  to  Boston,  being 
five  miles  off,  to  a  magistrates,  and  by  the  way  the  boy  calling  much 
for  water,  would  give  him  none,  though  he  came  close  by  it,  so  as 
the  boy  was  near  dead  when  he  came  to  Boston,  and  died  in  a  few 
hours  after.'  ^  The  governor,  magistrates,  and  elders,  having  met  at 
Salem,  May  thirtieth,  to  consider  this  and  several  other  cases,  '  the 
magistrates  seeming  to  be  satisfied,  warrant  was  signed  by  the 
governor  a  week  after,  which  was  not  approved  by  some  in  regard  of 
his  reprieval  to  the  next  court  of  assistants.'  *  l  He  had  been 
admitted  into  the  church  at  Roxbury  about  a  month  before.'  ^ 
The  following  order  is  transcribed  from  the  Ipswich  records  : 

May  l\th.  t  It  is  ordered  that  all  doggs  for  the  space  of  three  weeks  after  the 
publishing  hereof  shall  have  one  legg  tyed  up,  and  if  such  a  dogg  shall  break 
loose,  and  be  found  doing  any  harm,  the  owner  of  the  dogg  shall  pay  damages ; 
if  a  man  refuse  to  tye  up  his  dogg's  legg,  and  hee  bee  found  scrapeing  up  fish 
in  a  corne  fielde  the  owner  thereof  shall  pay  twelve  pence  damages,  beside 
whatever  damage  the  dogg  doth.  But  if  any  fish  their  house  lotts  and  receive 
damage  by  doggs,  the  owners  of  those  house  lotts  shall  bear  the  damage 
themselves.' 

In  the  Exeter  records,  I  find  the  following,  namely : 

1  May  19th,  1644.  It  is  agreed  that  all  dogs  shall  be  clog'd  and  side  lined  in 
ye  day  and  tied  up  in  the  night  and  if  any  dogs  shall  be  found  trespassing  in 
the  lots,  they  that  shall  find  them  shall  showt  them.' 

As  in  these  days  'doggs'  were  very  numerous,  and  fish  almost 
everywhere  were  necessary  as  manure  for  the  corn,  similar  regula- 
tions were  undoubtedly  made  in  Ne\vbury  and  other  places,  though 
the  record  of  such  penalties  and  the  intimation  of  such  a  custom,  if 
any  were  made,  are  now  lost. 

At  the  same  meeting  it  was  ordered,  that  for  every  wolf  killed 
with  hounds,  ten  shillings  should  be  paid,  '  and  if  with  a  trappe  or 
otherwise  five  shillings  ;  provided  they  bring  the  heads  to  the  meet- 
ing house  and  there  nayle  them  up  and  give  notis  thereof  to  the 
constable,  whom  wee  appoynt  to  write  in  his  books  due  remembrance 
thereof  for  the  clearing  of  his  account  to  the  towne.'  f 

In  the  Hampton  records  of  the  same  year  we  find  a  declaration 
somewhat  similar.  '  It  is  hereby  declared  that  every  townsman, 
which  shall  kill  a  wolf  and  bring  the  head  thereof  and  nayle  the  same 
to  a  little  red  oake  tree  at  the  northeast  end  of  the  meeting  house, 
shall  have  ten  shillings  a  wolfe  for  their  paynes.' 

As  early  as  this  year  Water  street  was  laid  out.     This  street  at 

*  Winthrop,  vol.  2.  pp.  184,  185.  f  Ipswich  records. 


HISTORY    OF    XEWBURY.  43 

that  time  was  between  Thomas  Mihvard's  fish  house,  and  dwelling- 
house,  which  stood  near  the  foot  of  what  is  now  called  Federal 
street. 

1  Tristram  CofTyn  is  allowed  to  keep  an  ordinary,  sell  wine,  and 
keep  a  ferry  on  Ncwbury  side  and  George  Carr  on  Salisbury  side ' 
of  Carr' s  kland. 

i  The  winter  of  1644-5  was  very  mild,  and  no  snow  lay,  so  as 
ploughs  might  go  most  part  of  the  winter,  but  on  February  sixteenth 
there  fell  so  great  a  snow  in  "several  days  as  the  ways  were  unpas- 
sable  for  three  wrecks,  so  as  the  court  of  assistants  held  not'  ^  their 
usual  session. 

1645. 

March  4th ,  1645.  '  There  was  granted  by  thetowTie  of  Newbury 
to  Daniel  Pierce  twelve  akers  of  upland  which  was  formerly  Mr. 
Woodman's,  which  the  said  Daniel  Pierce  requested,  promising  he 
would  remaine  with  us  in  Newbury  as  long  as  hee  liveth  unlesse 
hee  should  return  to  Old  England.'  f 

4  By  an  agreement  each  family  in  each  colony  gave  one  peck  of 
corn  or  one  shilling  to  Cambridge  college.'  J 

March  5th.  This  day  '  the  elders  of  the  churches  throughout  the 
united  colonies  met  at  Cambridge'  to  agree  upon  some  answers  Ho 
books  written  in  defence  of  anabaptism  and  other  errours  and  for 
liberty  of  conscience  as  a  shelter  for  their  toleration  and  so  forth, 
others  in  maintenance  of  the  Presbyterial  government.'  § 

September  12th.  i  There  was  granted  to  William  Ballard  seven 
akcrs  and  a  halfe  of  land  and  five  rod  in  the  great  field  beyond  the 
new  tpwne  called  by  the  name  of  divident  land  to  enjoy  to  him  and 
his  heirs  forever.'  f 

December  IS///,  1645.  GRIST  MILL  NUMBER  TWO.  A  committee  of 
seven  men  were  appointed  {  at  a  publique  meeting  for  to  procure  a 
water-mill  ||  for  to  be  built  and  set  up  in  said  towne  [of  Newbury]  to 
grind  theyr  corne.'  And  they  agreed  to  give  John  Emery  and  Sam- 
uel Scullard  £20  in  merchantable  pay,  to  '  give  them  ten  acres  of 
upland  and  six  acres  of  meadow '  and  that  the  said  mill  is  to  be  free 
from  all  rates  for  the  first  seven  years  and  to  be  a  freehold  to  them 
and  their  heirs  forever,  they  on  their  part  agreeing  to  sett  up  said 
mill  between  Nicholas  Holt's  point  and  Edward  Woodman's  bridge 
ready  for  the  towne's  use  to  grind  the  town's  grists  at  or  before  the 
twenty-ninth  of  September,  1646.  || 

December  22d.  '  Thomas  Colman  having  taken  a  farme  so  that 
he  cannot  attend  to  lay  out  lotts,  John  Pemberton  was  appointed 
lott  layer  in  his  roome"  and  to  joyne  with  Richard  Knight  and  to 
have  fourpence  per  acre  and  what  they  are  not  paid  for  the  towne 
is  to  see  them  satisfyed  for,  the  legall  means  being  first  used  to  ob- 
tayne  it.'  f 

*  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  p.  210.          t  Town  records.          J  Winlhrop,  vol.  2,  p.  216. 
$  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  p.  248.          ||  Proprietors'  records,  vol.  1,  p.  G. 


44  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

During  this  year  the  difficulty  commenced  between  Mr.  Parker 
and  the  church,  concerning  church  government,  and  was  not  finally 
settled  till  1672. 

1646. 

1  At  a  towne  meeting  of  the  eight  men,  January  second,  1646.' 
1  Wee,  whose  names  are  in  the  margent  expressed,*  for  the  settleing  the 
disturbances   that  yett  remayne  about  the  planting  and  setling  the  meeting 
house  that  all  men  may  cheerfully  goe  on  to  improve  their  lands  at  the  new 
towne,  doe  determine  that  the  meeting  house  shall  be  placed  and  sett  up  at  or 
before,    the   twentieth   of   October  next  in,  or  upon,  a  knowle  of  upland  by 
Abrahams  Toppan's  barne  within  a  sixe  or  sixteen  rodd  of  this  side  of  the  gate 
posts,  that  -are  sett  up  in  the  high  way  by  the  said  Abraham  Toppan's  barne.'  f 
1  Edward  Rawson  contradicente  this  order.7 

This  '  knowle  of  upland,'  where  the  meeting-house  stood  after  its 
removal,  was  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  present  burying  ground 
in  the  first  parish.  The  following  petition  to  the  general  court,  very 
clearly  presents  the  views  of  those  who  were  opposed  to  the 
removing  of  the  meeting-house,  and  shows  that  '  Edward  Rawson' 
was  not  the  only  one  who  '  contradicented  this  order.' 

(To  the  right  worshipfull,  the  ever  honored  court,  the  governor,  deputy 
governor,  witlTthe  rest  of  the' assistants  and  deputies  now  assembled  in  Boston.7 

1  The  humble  petition  of  us  the  inhabitants  of  Newbury.7 

1  The  true  sense  and  feeling  of  the  great  distractions  and  sad  grievances 
among  us,  which  as  far  as  we  see)  are  likely  dayly  to  increase  upon  to  our 
farther  smart,  if  not  utter  confusion  rather  than  to  amend,  have  caused  us  right 
worshipful  with  truly  mournful  hearts,  after  encountering  with  many  difficulties 
and  using  the  utmost  of  means  yt  we  know,  to  bring  our  sad  complaints  to  your 
ears,  intreating  you  that  while  yet  there  is  a  little  hope,  which  may  possibly 
decrease  dayly,  and  so  the  advantage  be  lost,  you  would  shew  a  fatherly  affec- 
tion to  us  and  strike  in  to  save  us,  if  it  may  be  from  utter  breaking.  If  you 
knew  our  hearts  they  would  speak  far  more  affectionately  than  our  papers,  and 
the  sad  sighs  that  are  on  us  (when  we  consider  with  ourselves  how  many 
thousand  miles  we  are  come  to  enjoy  ordinances,  and  the  shadow  of  a  godly 
government,  and  to  bequeath  so  much,  if  we  could  to  our  little  ones  after  us, 
that  have  adventured  their  lives  with  us,  yet  as  things  now  stand  we  are  likely 
to  miscarry  both  of  our  aims)  were  you  sensible  of  them,  could  not  but  move 
you  to  the  very  heart.  It  is  very  griefe  to  us  to  lay  open  our  case  in  such  man- 
ner as  it  is,  lest  we  too  much  discover  the  shame  that  is  amongst  us,  yet  as 
there  hath  formerly  been  some  smoke  of  this  fire  in  some  small  occasions 
presented  to  this  court,  which  hath  vanished  because  the  depth  hath  been  not 
considered,  the  truth  soundly  evidenced,  nor  the  just  cause  of  our  grief  dis- 
covered, therefore  we  are  inforced  to  set  down  things  as  they  are,  and  though 
in  some  particulars  some  persons  only  have  been  active,  yet  it  hath  bin  with 
the  well  wishes  of  many,  whose  eyes  have  been  on  them  expecting  and 
desiring  their  good  issue.  And  we  alone  at  this  time  appear  in  this  complaint, 
yet  the  proceedings  and  carriage  of  some  of  their  chief  affaires  are  very 
distasteful  to  most  of  the  town,  though  it  may  be  on  some  other  grounds,  yet 
we  doubt  not  but  to  say  that  more  of  us  appear  in  this  complaint  than  can  be 
produced  on  the  other  side,  a  great  many  expecting  what  the  issue  will  be,  not 
able  any  way  to  help,  and  so  not  willing  to  displease,  standing  neuter.  Trie 
foundation  of  all  our  troubles  is  a  pretended  commission,  illegal  in  itselfe,  and 

*  These  names  are  James  Noyes,  Edward  Woodman,  John   Cutting,  John  Lowle, 
Richard  Knight,  Henry  Short, 
t  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  45 

as  illegally  presented,  faire  pretences  to  draw  menrs  consent  (nothing  in  the 
issue  answered)  at  first  urged  some  men  in  particular,  privately  drawn  by  over 
persuasions  of  fair  speeches,  and  when  all  was  done,  so  many  never  subscribed, 
whose  estates  were  as  much,  if  not  more,  than  half  the  towne,  without  which  we 
doubt  not  to  affirme  they  had  no  commission  to  do  any  thing  as  they  did. 
Professions  and  protestations  were  made  against  their  proceedings  in  the  begin- 
ning, the  illegality  and  hurt  of  it  often  urged,  other  and  far  better  waies  of 
helping  the  towne's  necessity,  proposed.  Yet  they  proceed  and  secretly 
winding  in  and  intangling  most  men  by  some  unadvised  act  or  other  of  their 
owne  seemed  at  last  to  be  masters  of  their  purpose.  The  main  and  very  end  of 
the  said  commission  [is]  in  their  own  confession  utterly  impossible  to  be  per- 
formed (whereupon  we  should  think  the  commission  voide)  the  promises  and 
ingagements  in  the  same,  impossible  to  be  made  good  and  the  very  principles 
which  themselves  insisted  on.  without  which  they  pretend  no  face  or  colour  to 
do  any  thing  by  them  in  the  execution,  utterly  subverted  to  the  unjust  oppres- 
sion of  many.  Besides  private  oppositions  (not  to  speake  of  all  the  publicke) 
one  notorious  was  this.  An  action  was  brought  to  ye  court  by  some  of  us,  and 
eleven  of  the  jury  (as  was  evident  by  the  frequent  verdicts  not  accepted 
brought  in  by  them)  were  for  us,  and  as  far  as  we  could  discerne  half  the  bench, 
though  all  were  not  present  when  sentence  was  given,  so  a  special  verdict 
being  accepted  the  case  went  against  us.  though  from  ditferent  grounds  in  the 
judges.  Appeate  was  made  from  the  sentence,  and  sufficient  bond  put  in  at 
the  request  of  those,  that  managed  these  affaires,  with  faithful  promise  of 
referring  it,  and  standing  to  the  arbitration  of  those,  that  were  chosen  by  us, 
we  surceased  to  prosecute  appeal,  yet  have  often  called  upon  them,  also  we 
found  ourselves  deluded  with  such  a  carriage,  as  our  simplicity  was  not  able  to 
reach  unto.  It  were  too  long  and  tedious  to  mention  all  the  particulars,  wherein 
their  policy  (their  whole  carriage  has  been  full  of  it)  hath  wrought  on  our  sim- 
plicity and  so  left  us  all  at  last  in  misery.  To  come  to  the  last  passages,  which 
stir  and  set  on  the  great  [burden]  of  our  sorrows.  Discourse  at  last  was  had  of 
taking  down  ye  meeting-house.  Those  (as  well  as  we  can  guesse)  that  paid 
two  parts  of  three  to  the  building  of  it,  consented  not.  many  strongly  opposed  it, 
yet  the  voices  of  many,  that  were  then  servants,  and  never  paid  penny  to  it, 
prevailed,  down  it  is  taken  without  any  satisfaction  given  us,  and  besides  what 
we  are  forced  to  pay  toward  it.  The  high  way  in  part,  that  served  both  town 
and  country  and  the  very  places  assigned  to  bury  the  dead,  and  where  many 
dead  bodys  lye  are  sold  away  (as  wee  are  informed,  though  all  things  are 
secretly  carried)  to  sett  up  againe,  where  both  old  and  new  towne  judge  it 
unmeete  for  both,  but  especially  for  us  of  the  ould.  The  present  and  already 
seen  inconveniences  in  respect  of  enjoying  the  ordinances,  which  we  came  so 
many  miles  to  be  partakers  of,  hath  caused  us  oft  to  sigh  in  secret,  and  forcibly 
put  us  on  thought  to  provide  for  ourselves,  and  not  to  betray  the  blood  of  our 
poor  innocents,  which  cannot  (or  exceeding  rarely)  be  partakers  of  the  ordinary 
means  of  salvation,  nor  we  ourselves,  but  uncomfortably,  and  with  great  dis- 
tractions, which  they  of  the  new  towne  can  experience  to  us  by  that  little  they 
have  already  felt.  Divers  propositions  wee  have  made.  Att  the  beginning  of 
these  motions  we  promised  the  elders  both  of  ym  their  maintenance  (which 
must  needs  be  to  our  great  charge)  if  they  would  engage  themselves  to  abide 
with  us.  We  were  rejected  in  this.  Since  we  have  made  several  propositions. 
The  towne  being  continued  and  stretched  out  neare  five  miles,  if  not  upwards, 
besides  the  inconveniences  of  a  great  river  at  the  old  towne,  whereby  it  cannot 
be  imagined  that  we,  ould.  feeble  men,  women  and  children  of  all  sorts,  can 
possibly  many  of  ym  goe  above  three  miles  to  meeting,  besides  the  necessary 
occasions  in  the  winter  time  of  attendance  of  cattell.  which  will  require  divers 
to  be  neerer.  most  men  having  small  help  but  by  themselves  and  ye  two  ends 
of  ye  towne  being  most  populous,  wee  have  therefore  desired  either  first,  that 
one  of  the  elders  might  be  resident  with  us,  though  the  other  be  there,  the 
church  and  maintenance  still  continuing  one,  and  the  same,  or  secondly  that 
there  might  be  two  churches  and  one  elder  might  be  ours,  or  thirdly,  if  neither 
of  the  former  might  be  obtained,  then  to  let  us  be  a  church  of  ourselves,  and 
let  us  have  their  helpe  and  furtherance  to  provide  an  elder  for  ourselves,  all 


46  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

which  they  know  with  Jutyful  expressions  and  sufficient  reasons  we  have  rendered 
to  the  church  in  wilting,  and  wee  know  not  what  farther  to  think  to  propose,  yett 
we  can  receive  no  answer  of  our  desires,  and  wee  suppose  they  cannot  answer 
otherwise  if  they  deny  us  these  but  that  wee  must  live  at  home  and  turn  igno- 
rant atheists  wee  and  ours,  or  attend  on  the  ordinances  bee  our  conditions  what 
[they]  will  with  such  extraordinary  inconveniences,  as  are  not  to  be  borne  which 
wee' hope  that  godly  magistrates  will  not  suffer,  whose  authority  is  for  our  good 
to  see  the  townes  and  churches  builded  and  not  destroyed.  Having  thus 
showed  our  complaints,  every  particular  charge  whereof  we  stand  to  defend  and 
maintaine,  and  least  wee  be  overtedious  we  shall  now  in  a  word  humbly  tender 
to  you  the  sum  of  our  requests.'  [Here  the  remainder  of  the  sheet  on  which 
the  petition  was  written  is  torn  off,  and  all  the  names  of  the  signers  on  the  other 
side  of  the  paper  except  four,  lost  with  it.  It  concludes  thus  :  ]  l  And  wee 
profess  and  hereby  engage  ourselves  to  this  honored  court  that  if  there  should 
be  thought  any  just  cause  of  complaint  against  us  that  wee  should  have  ye 
better  in  case  these  things  are  granted  that  wee  shall  bee  ready  at  any  time  to  be 
directed  and  take  ye  advice  of  others  (in  case  wee  cannot  agree  ourselves)  to  come 
to  equal  agreement  and  composition  for  the  promoting  of  their  prosperous  estate 
suitable  to  our  towne.  whose  good  we  desire,  as  well  as  our  owne,  whose 
prosperity  we  heartily  wish,  though  (as  we  hope  yourselves  easily  conceive) 
necessity  forces  us  to  seek  your  favour  in  our  just  petition.  And  wee  the  rather 
desire  your  speciall  help  in"  this  case  because  where  our  whole  hope  was  that  in 
case  of  extremity  ye  court  might  and  would  help  us.  Two  or  three,  if  not 
more  of  their  chiefe  stike  not  to  say  and  speake  more  than  by  intimation  that 
the  court  generall  hath  nothing  to  do  with  it  nor  cannot  help  us,  which,  if  it 
were  so  our  sorrows  would  be  multiplied. 

EDMUND  GREENLEAFE. 

DANIEL  THURSTON. 

STEPHEN   KENT. 

JOHN  i>ooRE.; 

Shortly  after  this  petition  was  presented,  three  of  the  petitioners 
removed  from  Newbury.  Mr.  Greenleaf  went  to  Boston.  Stephen 
Kent  moved  to  Haverhill,  Mr.  Henry  Sewall,  senior,  moved  to 
Rowley,  that  he  might  be  near  the  meeting-house  there. 

April  8th.  '  Mr.  Henry  Sewall,  Mr.  Woodman,  Henry  Lunt,  and 
Archelaus  Woodman,  were  fyned  twelve  pence  apiece,  and  Steven 
Kent  for  their  absence  from  the  generall  towne  meeting,  to  be 
gathered  within  ten  dayes.  In  case  the  constable  bring  it  not  by 
that  time,  Anthony  Morse  is  appointed  to  distreyne  on  him  for  all 
the  fynes.'  %• 

At  a  town  meeting  of  the  eight  men,  '  the  time  being  too  short  to 
finish  and  perfectly  record  all  the  grants,  which  have  bin  made  by 
the  eight  men,  it  is  ordered  that  whatever  Mr.  Rawson  shall  record 
that  himself  or  Richard  Knight  doth  perfectly  remember  was  granted 
to  any  inhabitant  shall  be  by  all,  and  is  by  all,  hereby  acknowledged 
to  be  authentick  and  legall  as  any  other  grant  allready  recorded,  so 
it  be  done  within  these  six  months.'  ^ 

c  In  the  end  of  June  we  had  a  strong  hand  of  God  upon  us. 
Upon  a  suddaine  innumerable  armies  of  caterpillars  filled  the 
country  all  over  the  English  plantations,  which  devoured  whole 
meadows  of  grasse,  Indian  corn,  and  barley.  Wheat  and  rye  not 
much.  Much  prayer  was  made  about  it  and  fasting  and  the  Lord 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    XEWBURY.  47 

heard  and  took  them  away  againe  suddenly   in   all  parts   of  the 
country  to  the  wonderment  of  all  men.'^ 

At  a  general  town  meeting,  the  tenth  of  December,  1646,  the 
town  being  informed  that  Mr.  Thomas  Parker  was  unwilling  to  act 
any  longer  in  any  matters  concerning  the  new  town  and  that  Mr. 
Cutting  was  going  to  sea,  'did  make  choyse  of  Nicholas  Xoyes  and 
William  Titcomb  to  be  added  to  the  rest  of  the  new  towne  men  for 
six  weeks.'  t  and  so  forth. 

December  16///,  1646.  '  At  a  meeting  of  the  eight  men.  it  is 
ordered  that  all  those  that  do  accept  of  any  lands  between  the  great 
river  and  Stephen  Dummer's  farme  shall  have  it  on  this  condition 
that  they  goe  not  to  divide  the  church,  or  oppose  the  first  order  or 
agreement  about  the  removeing  of  the  towne.'  f 

'  Granted  to  Aquilla  Chase,  anno  1646,  four  acres  of  land  at  the 
new  towne  for  a  house  lott  and  six  acres  of  upland  for  a  planting 
lott  where  it  is  to  be  had,  and  six  acres  of  marsh  where  it  is  to  be 
had,  also  on  condition  that  he  do  go  to  sea,  and  do  service  in  the 
towne  with  a  boat  for  foure  years.'  f 

;  The  six  acres  of  upland '  above  granted  were  laid  out  to  Aquilla 
Chase  '  beyond  the  new  towne.' 

In  what  month  of  tjiis  year  these  conditional  grants  were  made 
to  Aquilla  Chase,  or  what  was  the  precise  service,  which  he  was 
obligated  to  perform,  the  records  do  not  inform  us.  He,  however, 
removed  from  Hampton  to  Xewbury  this  year,  and  sometime  prior 
to  September,  as  we  find  in  the  county  records  the  following 
presentment : 

4  September,  1646.  We  present  Aquilla  Chase  and  wife,  and 
David  Wheeler  for  gathering  pease  on  the  Sabbath  day.'  For  this 
offence  the  court  orders  them  to  be  admonished  and  their  fines 
remitted.  For  a  more  particular  account  of  Aquilla  Chase  see 
appendix,  E. 

mber  1st.     The  assembly  or  synod  met  at  Cambridge,  and," 
having  continued  but  about  fourteen  days,  broke  up,  and  was  ad- 
journed to  the  eighth  of  June,  1647. t 

'  This  winter  [1646]  was  one  of  our  mildest.  No  snow  all  winter 
Ion 2:.  nor  sharp  weather.  We  never  had  a  bad  clay  to  go  to  the 
Indians.'  § 

1647. 

1  KENT'S  ISLAND.'  This  year,  February  seventh.  •  the  men  deputed 
to  order  the  affaires  and  exchanges  of  the  new  towne,'  granted  to 
Richard  Kent,  junior,  the  island,  which  is  still  called  Kent's  island, 
and  is  still  owned  by  his  descendants.  It  is  thus  mentioned  in  the 

*  Roxbury  church  records. 

t  Town  records.  There  is  a  tradition  in  the  Chase  family,  that  he  was  the  first 
person,  who  ever  brought  a  vessel  over  Newbury  bar.  He  was  probably  a  pilot,  and 
fisherman. 

t  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  pp.  270,  271. 

\  Roxbury  church  records,  written  by  the  reverend  John  Elliot. 


48  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

records.  After  noticing '  the  tenn  acres  of  upland,  which  the  towne 
granted  him  on  the  island  over  the  little  river,  and  sixty  four  acres 
of  marish,'  it  grants  him  l  all  the  rest  of  the  upland  and  marish  on 
the  island  over  the  little  river  being  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres 
or  thereabouts,  being  formerly  granted  to  particular  persons.'  The 
remainder  of  the  island  the  said  Richard  Kent,  junior,  obtained 
either  by  purchase  or  exchange,  either  with  the  town  or  individuals, 
*'  all  which  land  in  the  island  above  mentioned  being  two  hundred 
and  fifty-eight  acres  or  thereabouts  to  enjoy  to  him  and  his  heires 
forever,'  and  so  forth.  %• 

April  1st.  i  It  was  ordered  that  Mr.  [Edward]  Woodman  should 
be  moderator  of  this  assembly  and  appointed  to  execute  the  former 
order,  that  so  confusion  be  prevented.'  ^ 

This  is  the  first  time  that  mention  is  made  in  the  records,  of  a 
4  moderator,'  though  such  an  officer  had  undoubtedly  been  chosen 
annually  from  the  first  settlement  of  the  town.  At  the  same  meet- 
ing, the  '  selectmen,' *  one  grand  jury  man,'  a  '  constable,'  three  '  way- 
wardens,'  and  a  '  deputy '  to  the  general  court,  were  chosen.  This 
deputy  was  Mr.  Edward  Rawson,  who  this  year  was  chosen 
secretary  of  state,  in  room  of  Mr.  Increase  Nowell.  The  next 
town  clerk  was  Mr.  John  Lowle,  who  dying  June  twenty-ninth, 
4  Anthony  Somerby  was  chosen  clerk  of  the  writs  at  Newbury,  and 
to  record  births,  deaths  and  marriages  in  the  place  of  John  Lowle 
deceased.'  f 

In  May,  the  following  law  was  passed,  namely :  '  it  is  ordered  that 
when  any  towne  shall  increase  to  the  number  of  one  hundred  fam- 
ilies or  householders  they  shall  set  up  a  grammar  school  and  so  forth. 
And  if  any  town  neglect  the  performance  hereof  above  one  year,  it 
shall  pay  £5  per  annum  to  the  next  such  school  till  they  shall  perform 
such  order.'  f  In  May  1671  the  fine  was  increased  to  £10,  and  in 
1683  to  £20. 

May  18th.  The  town  for  £3  'granted  to  John  Emery  that  parcell 
of  land  called  the  greene,  about  three  akers,  being  more  or  lesse, 
bounded  by  the  half  acre  lotts  on  the  west,  the  hye  way  on  the  south 
east  and  his  own  land  on  the  north,  being  in  a  triangle,  only  the 
twenty  rods  [is]  reserved  in  said  land  for  a  burying  place  as  it  is 
bounded  with  stakes  with  a  way  to  it  from  the  east.'  ^ 

This  'burying  place '  still  remains,  and  is  situated  east  of  old  town 
hill,  in  land  now  owned  by  Mr.  Paul  Ilsley,  and  is  still  called  the 
*  Emery  lot.' 

This  year,  in  the  month  of  January  or  February,  Mary  Johnson 
was  executed  as  a  witch  in  Hartford,  Connecticut.  This  was  the 
first  instance  in  New  England. 

May  10th.  '  Upon  examination  it  appeared  that  there  was  not 
enough  corn  in  the  whole  country  to  last  two  months.'  f 

June  8th.  The  synod  again  assembled  at  Cambridge.  In  conse- 
quence, however,  of  an  epidemical  sickness,  '  which  went  through 
the  country  among  the  Indians  and  English,  French,  and  Dutch, 

*  Town  records.  t  Colonial  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBTJRY.  49 

the  synod  were  forced  to  break  up  of  a  sudden/  as  { divers  of  the 

members  were  taken  with  it.'     '  Not  a  family,  nor  but  few  persons, 

j  ?  -u- 
escaped.  * 

It  was  about  this  time,  according  to  Winthrop,  that  <a  trade  was" 
opened  with  Barbadoes,  and  other  West  India  islands,'  by  which 
our  cattle,  provisions,  staves,  and  so  forth,  were  exchanged  for4 sugar, 
cotton,  tobacco  and  indigo,'  which  '  were  a  good  help  to  discharge 
our  engagements  with  England.'  =fc 

Of  this  trade  the  inhabitants  of  Newbury  soon  began  to  avail 
themselves,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see,  so  that,  in  the  language  of 
Samuel  Danforth,  in  his  almanac  for  1648, 

1  Heaps  of  wheat,  pork,  bisket.  beef  and  beer, 
Masts,  pipe-staves,  fish  should  store  both  far  and  near, 
Which  fetch  in  wines,  cloth,  sweets  and  good  tobac- 
0  be  contented  then,  ye  cannot  lack.' 

December  26^,  1647.  «  Tristram  Coffin  [senior]  is  allowed  to 
keep  an  ordinary,  and  retayle  wine,  paying  according  to  order,  and 
also  granted  liberty  to  keep  a  ferry  at  Newbury  side.'  f  This  ferry 
crossed  the  Merrimac  at  Carr's  island,  George  Carr  keeping  the 
Salisbury  side,  and  Tristram  Coffin,  senior,  the  « Newbury  side.' 


1648. 

April  27l/i.  <  At  a  general  meeting  of  the  freemen  of  the  towne 
it  was  ordered  that  from  henceforth  from  yeare  to  yeare  the  meeting 
for  the  choyse  of  towne  officers  shall  be  upon  the  first  Monday  in 
March-  upon  publick  warneing.'  J 

i  There  was  granted  to  Thomas  Marvyn  two  akers  of  land  lying 
near  to  the  new  pond  on  the  back  side  of  Mr.  Nicholas  Noyes  his 
house  lott  at  the  new  towne  for  encouragement  to  kill  wolves,  and 
that  he  shah1  endeavor  to  his  utmost  to  catch  them.'  J 

June.  l  At  this  court  Margaret  Jones  of  Charlestown  was  indicted 
and  found  guilty  of  witchcraft  and  hanged  for  it.'  §  This  was  the 
first  case  of  that  lamentable  delusion  in  Massachusetts,  which 
required  the  services  of  an  executioner. ,  In  Danforth's  almanac  for 
this  year  is  the  following  note  set  against  the  fifteenth  of  June. 
i  Alice  Jones  executed  for  witchcraft.'  Alice  should  be  Margaret. 

July  lo/A.  '  The  synod  met  at  Cambridge  by  adjournment.'  § 
'This  synod,'  says  .Air.  Savage,  in  a  note,  'erected  the  famous  Cam- 
bridge platform,'  which  continued  so  many  years,  and  which  was  in 
a  great  degree  occasioned  by  the  change  of  sentiment  respecting 
church  discipline,  entertained  by  the  ministers  of  Newbury,  Mr. 
Parker  and  Mr.  Noyes. 

c  John  Bartlett,  constable,  was  fined  forty  shillings  for  not  provid- 
ing measures,  and  Newbury,  presented  for  want  of  a  sufficient 

*  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  pp.  308,  309.  310.  t  Colonial  records. 

t  Town  rernrdp.  §  Wintbrop.  vol.  2,  p.  330. 


50  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

pound,'  and  also  presented  '  for  want  of  a  convenient  safe  way  for 
the  new  towiie  to  the  ferry  side.' 

4  Lieutenant  Edmund  Greenleaf  is  allowed  to  keep  an  ordinary 
in  Newbury.'  f 

4  It  was  ordered  that  Isaac  Buswell  and  George  Carr  shall  have 
power  to  call  upon  Newbury  to  lay  out  the  country  way  as  far  as 
belongs  unto  them  from  the  island  to  Mr.  Clark's  farme.'  * 

Clark's  farm  was  near  Thurlow's  bridge,  so  called. 

This  year  the '  court  desired  Mr.  Edward  Rawson  and  Mr.  [Joseph] 
Hills  to  compose  the  amendments  of  the  book  of  laws  passed  and 
make  them  as  one ;  one  copy  to  remain  in  the  hands  of  the  commit- 
tee for  the  speedy  committing  them  to  the  press,  and  the  other  to 
remain  in  the  hands  of  the  secretary  sealed  up  till  the  next  court.' 

December.  Thomas  Smith,  aged  twelve  years,  fell  into  a  pit  on 
his  way  to  school,  and  was  drowned.' 


1649. 

1  At  a  generall  towne  meeting  March  sixth,  1649,  Mr.  Edward 
Rawson  was  appointed  to  serve  deputy  at  the  next  courte  of  election 
for  this  towne  and  to  stay  and  consumate  the  affayres  of  the  country 
according  to  order  for  the  year  following.' 

'  At  a  meeting  generall  of  the  freemen  the  sixth  of  March  1649. 
*  There  was  chosen  Mr.  William  Gerrish,  John  Saunders,  Daniel 
Pierce,  Henry  Shorte,  Richard  Knight,  Robert  Coker,  William 
Titcomb,  Archelaus  Woodman,  and  John  Merrill,  to  bee  a  commit- 
tee for  the  towne  to  view  the  passages  into  Plum  island  and  to 
informe  the  courte  by  way  of  petition  concerning  the  righte  the 
towne  hath  to  the  sayd  island  and  to  have  full  power  with  Mr. 
Edward  Rawson  to  draw  forth  a  petition  and  present  it  to  the 
next  general  courte.' 

*  Mr.  Edward  Rawson,  Mr.  John  Spenser  and  Mr.  Woodman 
was  chosen  by  the  towne  to  joyne  with  those  men  of  Ipswich  and 
Rowley,  that  was  appointed  to  bee  a  committee  about  Plum  island.'  f 

May  \5th,  1649.  The  town  of  Newbury  petition  the  general 
court  to  grant  them  the  whole  of  Plum  island.  After  declaring 
their  confidence  in  the  <  Christian  readiness  of  the  court  to  uphold 
the  meanest  member  of  this  jurisdiction  from  sinking  under  any 
pressure,'  and  so  forth,  and  so  forth,  they  go  on  to  say : 

{ The  substance  of  our  desires  is  that,  if  after  you  have  heard  and  perused 
what  we  say,  that  in  right  Plum  island  belongs  not  to  us7  yet  out  of  your 
just  favour,  it  may  be  granted  to  us  to  relieve  our  pinching  necessities,  without 
which  we  see  no  way  to  continue  or  subsist.  Our  feares  were  occasioned  by  a 
petition  which  was  preferred  to  the  last  general  court  for  it.  Our  apprehensions 
of  our  right  to  it  are,  first,  because  for  three  or  four  miles  together  there  is  no 
channel  betwixt  us  and  it.  Second,  because  at  low  water  we  can  go  dry  to  it 
over  many  places,  in  most  with,  carts  and  horses,  which  we  usually  doe,  being 

*  Salisbury  records.  t  Colonial  records.  J  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  51 

necessitated  so  to  doe  since  our  guift  to  Rowley  on  the  court's  request  and 
promise  that  we  should  have  any  thing  in  the  court's  power  to  grant.  Thirdly, 
because  the  court's  order  gives  all  lands  to  dead  low  water  marke  not  exceed- 
ing one  hundred  rods,  to  towns,  or  persons,  where  any  lands  do  so  border. 
In  many  places  Plum  island  is  not  ten  rods,  at  no  place  one  hundred  rods  from 
low  water  marke. 

1  Fourth,  because  we  only  can  improve  it  without  damage  to  our  neigbouring 
plantations,  which  none  can  doe  without  much  damage  to  your  petitioners,  if 
not  to  the  ruining  of  both  the  meadow  and  corne  of  your  petitioners,  and'  so  forth. 
The  premises  considered  we  hope  (and  doubt  not)  this  honorable  court  will  see 
just  grounds  to  answer  our  request  and  confirme  the  island  to  our  towne  and  we 
shall  always  as  in  duty  we  are  bound  pray,  and  so  forth. 

THOMAS  PARKER.        JAMES  NOTES. 

PERCIVAL  LOWLE.       WILLIAM  GERRISH. 

JOHN  SPENCER.  EDWARD  WOODMAN. 

JOHN  SAUNDERS.          HENRY  SHORT. 

RICHARD  KENT  in  ye  name  of  ye  rest.7 

In  answer  to  this  petition,  the  court,  October  seventeenth,  1649, 
granted  two  fifths  of  the  island  to  Newbury,  two  fifths  to  Ipswich, 
and  one  fifth  to  Rowley. 

March.  c  Anthony  Morse  was  presented  for  digging  a  pit  and 
not  filling  it  up  seasonably.'  In  this  pit  Thomas  Smith  was 
drowned. 

This  year,  Pentucket,  [now  Bradford,]  'ordered  that  the  fence 
between"  us  and  Newbury  shall  be  made  sufficient  with  three  rails 
on  penalty  of  sixpence  a  rod  fine  for  defect.' 

On  the' tenth  of  May,  1649,  governor  Endicott,  deputy  governor" 
Dudley,  with  seven  of  the  assistants,  bore  the  following  testimony 
against  the  wearing  of  long  hair.  It  is  inserted  as  a  curiosity. 

1  Forasmuch  as  the  wearing  of  long  hair  after  the  manner  of  ruffians  and 
barbarous  Indians,  has  begun  to  invade  New  England,  contrary  to  the  rule  of 
God's  word,  which  says  it  is  a  shame  for  a  man  to  wear  long  hair,  as  also  the 
commendable  custom  generally  of  all  the  godly  of  our  nation,  until  within 
these  few  years. 

•  We  the  magistrates,  who  have  subscribed  this  paper  (for  the  shewing  of  our 
own  innocency  in  this  behalf)  do  declare  and  manifest  our  dislike  and  detesta- 
tion against  the  wearing  of  such  long  hair,  as  against  a  thing  uncivil  and 
unmanly,  whereby  men  doe  deforme  themselves  and  offend  sober  and  modest 
men,  and  doe  corrupt  good  manners.  We  doe  therefore  earnestly  entreat  all 
the  elders  of  this  jurisdiction  (as  often  as  they  shall  see  cause  to  manifest  their 
zeal  against  it  in  their  publike  administrations)  to  take  care  that  the  members  of 
their  respective  churches  be  not  defiled  therewith ;  that  so  such  as  shall  prove 
obstinate  and  will  not  refonne  themselves,  may  have  God  and  man  to  witness 
against  them.' 

In  the  Roxbury  church  records,  and  in  the  hand  writing  of  the 
venerable  John  Elliott,  I  find  the  following.  It  is  the  seventh 
1  proposition  about  apparel  and  fashions.' 


'  7.  Locks  and  long  haire  (now  in  England  called  rattle  heads  and  opposite  to 
Christians,  who  wear  short  haire  all  of  a  lengthe  and  therefore  called  round 
heads)  is  an  offence  to  many  godly  Christians,  and  therefore  be  it  known  to  such, 
they  walk  offensively.' 


52  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

The  first  tanner  in  Newbury,  of  whom  we  have  any  account, 
was  Mr.  Nicholas  Easton,  who  was  afterward  governor  of  Rhode 
Island.  He  is  called  by  Winthrop,  '  one  Easton,  a  tanner.'  The 
remains  of  an  old  tan-yard  are  still  visible,  on  land  once  owned  by 
him,  and  which  some  years  after  came  into  possession  of  Mr. 
Richard  Dole,  who,  as  we  learn  from  his  will,  carried  on,  among 
his  other  occupations,  the  business  of  tanning.  The  site  of  the 
yard,  which  is  still  owned  by  his  descendants,  is  a  few  rods  north 
from  Parker  river  bridge,  and  a  few  rods  east  from  the  main  road 
leading  to  the  bridge.  John  Bartlett  was  also  a  tanner.  His  place 
of  business  was  a  short  distance  from  the  banks  of  the  Merrimac, 
near  the  road  leading  to  Amesbury  ferry.  In  what  year  he  com- 
menced the  business,  it  is  impossible  to  say.  Descendants  of  the 
same  name  are  'still  engaged  in  the  same  business,  on  the  same  spot. 

On  the  nineteenth  of  April,  this  year,  the  i  freemen '  granted  to  Job 
Clements,  from  Haverhill,  a  freehold  'conditionally  yt  he  live  with 
us  heere  in  Newbury  exercising  his  trade  four  years  or  as  long  as 
he  shall  live  within  that  tearme  and  also  let  the  shoemakers  of  this 
towne  have  the  first  proffer  or  the  forsaking  of  his  leather,  making 
him  as  good  pay  as  others.'  ^ 

This  attempt  to  secure  the  services  of  Job  Clement,  as  tanner, 
failed,  he  '  not  performing  the  conditions  above  specifyed.' 

September.  Newbury  was  presented  for  want  of  a  pound,  and 
their  constable  presented  for  not  providing  weights  and  measures 
according  to  order  of  court,  but  afterward  the  fine  was  remitted,  f 

'  Newbury  was  presented  for  want  of  a  sufficient  pound  and  is 
to  pay  forty  shillings,  unless  it  is  completed  by  the  first  of  May 
next.'  f 

The  following  curious  sentence  of  the  court,  on  a  citizen  of 
Ipswich,  is  found  on  the  county  records. 

<  Thomas  Scott  upon  his  presentment  is  fyned  ten  shillings 
unless  he  learn  Mr.  Norton's  chatachise  by  next  court.' 

The  records  of  the  court  do  not  state  the  nature  of  the  offence, 
which  induced  the  court  to  inflict  the  '  chatachise '  on  the  offending 
brother,  or  its  value  in  money.  It  appears,  however,  that  he  chose 
rather  to  lose  the  money  than  to  take  the  '  chatachise,'  as  the  records 
of  the  'next  court'  inform  us,  that '  Thomas  Scott  not  appearing  to 
make  known  that  he  hath  learned  Mr.  Norton's  chatachise  his  fyne 
is  to  be  taken.' 

In  September,  '  there  was  a  general  visitation  by  the  small-pox.'  f 

1650. 

The  first  notice  we  have,  on  the  town  records,  of  any  Indians  liv- 
ing in  Newbury,  is  in  January,  1644,  where  lot  sixty-one  in  the  new 
town  is  granted  to  '  John,  Indian.'  The  next  is  in  April  sixteenth 
of  this  year,  where  the  town,  through  their  selectmen,  William  Ger- 

*  Town  records.  t  County  records.  J  Roxbury  church  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  53 

rish,  Abraham  Toppan,  and  Anthony  Somerby,  purchase  a  tract  of 
land  of  '  Great  Tom,  Indian.'     It  commences  thus  : 

1  Witness  by  these  presents  that  I,  Great  Tom.  Indian,  for  and  in  consideration 
of  three  pounds  in  hand  paid  by,  and  received  of,  the  townsmen  of  Newbury, 
have  given,  granted,  covenanted  and  fully  bargained,  and  for  and  by  these 
presents  do  give,  grant,  convey,  confirme,  bargain  and  sell  all  that  my  th*** 
acres  of  planting  land  as  it  is  fenced  in  one  entire  fence  in  Newbury  lying  neere 
Indian  hill  with  all  my  right,  title  and  interest  in  all  the  woods,  commons  and 
lands  that  I  have  in  the  township  of  Newbury  to  have  and  to  hold,  and  so  forth, 
and  so  forth.  In  witness  whereof  I,  the  said  Great  Tom,  Indian,  have  set  to 
my  hand  and  seale  April  sixteenth,  1650. 

The  mark  *  of 
GREAT  TOM,  INDIAN.' 

November  20th.  The  town  *  granted  to  John  Poore  twenty-two 
acres  of  upland/  in  consequence  of  l  his  being  so  remote  from 
meeting  and  difficulty  in  coming  over  the  ferry  and  for  his 
satisfaction.' 

September  7th._  Mr.  John  Spencer,  nephew  of  Mr.  John  Spencer, 
deceased,  sold  to  Henry  Sewall,  the  mill  lot,  being  fifty  acres  of 
upland  and  ten  acres  of  meadow,  for  sixteen  pounds  sterling. 

In  this  year,  December  nineteenth,  '  the  townsmen  at  a- meeting* 
voted  to  pay  out  of  the  '  towne  rate  one  shilling  for  every  dozen  of 
black  birds,  two  shillings  for  every  dozen  of  wood-peckers'  and 
jays'  heads,  and  three  shillings  for  every  dozen  of  crowes,  and  so 
proportionable  for  any  lesser  number.' 

'John  Tillotson  was  presented  for  scandalous  and  reproachful 
speeches  cast  on  the  elders  and  others  in  a  publick  church  meeting 
on  a  Lord's  day.'  %• 

4  Henry  Somerby  was  licensed  to  keep  an  ordinary  instead  of 
Mr.  Greenleaf.'  * 

'  John  Perry  of  Newbury  is  ordered  to  sit  in  the  stocks  one  house 
enxt  lecture  day  for  abusive  carnage  to  his  wife  and  child.'  * 

'John  Tillotson  on  his  many  offences  is  fined  twenty  pounds, 
bound  to  his  good  behaviour,  and  fined  twenty-seven  pounds  for 
killing  a  mare  belonging  to  Mr.  James  Noyes.'  * 

In  an  old  manuscript,  once  owned  by  the  reverend  James  Noyes, 
and  now  by  one  of  his  descendants,  Mr.  Silas  Noyes,  is  an  account 
of  the  testimony  taken  in  the  case  of  John  Tillotson,  and  some  of 
4  his  many  offences,'  which  induced  the  court  to  lay  so  heavy  a  fine 
on  him.  The  evidence  concludes  by  saying :  '  at  last  he  killed  our 
elder's  mare,  great  with  foal,  and  a  special  good  beast  she  was, 
provoked  with  her  at  ye  instant,  he  killed  her  with  a  long  pike,  thrust 
through  both  her  sides,'  and  so  forth,  and  so  forth,  and  '  the  morning 
after  this  transaction  he  made  a  deed  to  convay  all  his  estate  away 
from  himselfe  offering  it  to  goodman  ^fc^^MMfc  whereby  our  elder 
would  have  been  wholly  defrauded  of  his  mare.' 

*  County  records. 


54  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 


1651. 

From  Johnson's  Wonder-working  Providence,  published  this  year, 
I  make  the  following  extract : 

1  This  town  [Newbury]  is  situated  about  twelve  miles  from  Ipswitch,  neere 
upon  the  wide  venting  streams  of  Merrimack  river,  whose  strong  current  is  such 
that  it  hath  forced  its  passage  through  the  mighty  rocks,  which  causeth  some 
sudden  falls  and  hinders  shipping  from  having  any  accesse  far  into  the  land. 
This  towne  is  stored  with  meadows  and  upland.  Their  houses  are  built  very 
scattering,  which  hath  caused  some  contention  about  removal  of  their  place  for 
sabbath  assemblies.  It  consists  of  about  seventy  families.  The  soules  in 
church  fellowship  are  about  an  hundred.  The  teaching  elders  in  this  place 
have  carried  it  very  lovingly  toward  their  people,  permitting  them  to  assist  in 
admitting  of  persons  into  church  society,  and  in  church  censures,  to  long  as  they 
act  regidarly,  but  in  case  of  maladministration  they  assume  the  power  wholly  to 
themselves.11 

The  preceding  lines  of  Johnson  very  well  express  the  principles 
of  church  discipline,  held  by  Messrs.  Parker  and  Noyes,  and  which 
occasioned  the  long  and  bitter  controversy,  which  was  not  finally 
settled  till  a  short  time  before  the  death  of  Mr.  Parker  in  1677.  A 
majority  of  the  church  demanded  as  a  right,  what  Messrs.  Parker 
and  Noyes,  in  the  language  of  Johnson,  '  lovingly  permitted '  as  a 
favor,  and  believing  that  the  church  in  its  corporate  capacity  had  a 
right,  and  were  therefore  under  a  sacred  obligation,  to  manage  its 
own  affairs,  they  contended  most  strenuously,  and  with  untiring 
pertinacity,  against  their  '  elders'  assuming,'  under  any  pretext,  '  the 
power  wholly  to  themselves.'  Full  proof  of  this  will  be  hereafter 
exhibited. 

In  consequence  of  £  divers  complaints,  having  been  made  from 
time  to  time  of  disorder  in  the  meeting  house,'  and  believing  that 
i  the  abuses  in  the  youth  cannot  be  so  easily  reformed,  unlesse  every 
house-holder  knows  his  seat  in  the  meeting-house,'  the  selectmen, 
the  twenty-fourth  of  January,  1651,  '  hereby  order  that  every  house- 
holder both  men  and  women  shall  sit  in  those  seats,  that  are 
appointed  for  them  during  their  lives,  and  not  to  presse  into  seats 
where  they  are  full  already.'  They  also  declare  that  they  '  have 
drawne  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  inhabitants  and  appointed  them 
their  places  in  the  meeting-house  and  have  set  their  names  in  each 
particular  seat  where  they  shall  sit  and  the  young  men  are  appointed 
to  sit  in  the  four  backer  seats  in  the  gallery  and  in  the  two  lower 
seats  at  the  west  door.' 

This  was  called  '  seating  the  meeting-house,'  and  occasioned,  as 
will  be  hereafter  seen,  much  difficulty.  At  this  time  pews  were  not 
known.  The  foregoing  extract  was  taken  from  the  quarterly  court 
files  in  Salem.  It  was  a  copy  from  the  *  towne  booke,'  which 
cannot  now  be  found. 

As  a  specimen  of  some  of  the  cases  tried  at  Salem  court,  I  give 
the  following  testimony,  *  T  junior  of  Newbury  came 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

to  goodman  Sanders'  barne  and  with  a  great  swingell  did  strikS 
William  Richerson  athurt  the  bake  and  so  ran  away.'  * 

The  town  granted  to  Richard  Pettingell,  fourteen  acres  of  marsh, 
in  consideration  of  his  '  yielding  up  into  the  towne's  hands  a  way 
1  four  rods  wide  through  his  land.'  f  That  way  is  now  Green 
street,  formerly  called  Rolfe's  lane. 

March  5th.  Henry  Short,  agent  for  Mr.  Stephen  Dummer,  sold 
to  Thomas  Brown  and  George  Little,  his  'farm  at  the  Birchen 
meadows  containing  three  hundred  acres  for  twenty-one  pounds.' 

October  14Z//.  The  court  made  another  abortive  attempt  to 
regulate  the  fashions  of  the  people,  to  prescribe  what  certain  classes 
of  persons  should  not  wear,  and  what  exceptions  ought  to  be  made 
to  the  general  rule.  They  declare  that  'intolerable  excesse  and 
bravery  hath  crept  in  upon  us  and  especially  among  people  of  mean 
condition  and  their  utter  detestation  and  dislike  that  men  of  mean 
conditions  and  callings  should  take  upon  them  the  garb  of  gentle- 
men by  wearing  gold  or  silver  lace,  or  buttons,  or  points  at  their 
knees,  to  walk  in  great  boots,  or  women  of  the  same  ranke,  to  wear 
silk  or  tiffany  hoods  or  scarfs,  which  though  allowable  to  persons  of 
greater  estates,  or  more  liberal  education,  they  judge  it  intolerable 
in  persons  of  such  like  condition.' 

They  then  order,  that,  with  the  exception  of  '  magistrates  or  any 
publick  officer  of  this  jurisdiction,  their  wives  and  children,  military 
officers  or  soldiers,  or  any  other,  whose  education  or  employment 
have  been  above  the  ordinary  degree,  or  whose  estates  have  been 
considerable,  though  now  decayed,  or  who  were  not  worth  two 
hundred  pounds,  no  person  should  trangress  this  law  under  penalty 
of  ten  shillings.' 

•  1652. 

On  the  court  records  at  Salem,  I  find  the  following : 

1  This  is  to  certify  whom  it  may  concern  that  we  the  subscribers  being  called 
upon  to  testify  against  [doctor]"  William  Snelling  for  words  by  him  uttered, 
affirm  that  being  in  way  of  merry  discourse,  a  health  being  drank  to  all  friends, 
he  answered 

I  '11  pledge  my  friends, 

And  for  my  foes, 

A  plague  for  their  heels, 

And  a  poxe  for  their  toes.' 

1  Since  when  he  hath  affirmed  that  he  only  intended  the  proverb  used  in  the 
west  country,  nor  do  we  believe  he  intended  otherwise.' 

WILLIAM  THOMAS, 
THOMAS  MILWARD. 

'  March  12,  1651-2.  All  which  I  acknowledge,  and  I  am  sorry  I  did  not 
expresse  my  intent,  or  that  I  was  so  weak  as  to  use  so  foolish  a  proverb.'  * 

GULIELMUS  SNELLING. 

So  great,  however,  was  the  enormity  of  the  doctor's  offence,  that 
neither  explanation,  nor  apology,  was  of  any  avail,  as  the  record 

*  County  records.  t  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

5rms  us  that c  William  Snelling  in  his  presentment  for  cursing  is 
fined  ten  shillings  and  the  fees  of  court.'  ^ 

After  this  specimen  of  their  abhorrence  of  profanity,  we  have  a 
right  to  presume  that  doctor  Snelling  was  especially  careful  of  what 
he  said  concerning  his  neighbors'  heels  or  toes. 

This  year  a  mint  was  established  at  Boston,  for  coining  shillings, 
sixpences,  and  threepences.  The  pieces  at  first,  had  N.  E.  on  one 
side,  and  XII.  VI.  or  III.  on  the  other.  It  was  afterward  ordered, 
that  all  pieces  should  have  a  double  ring,  with  the  word  MASSA- 
CHUSETTS, and  a  tree  in  the  centre,  on  one  side,  and  NEW  ENGLAND 
and  1652  on  the  other.  The  same  date  was  continued  for  thirty 
years  after.  *  The  mint  master  was  John  Hall,  who  raised  a  large 
fortune  from  it,'  his  perquisites  being  fifteen  pence  for  every  twenty 
shillings  coined.  Judge  Samuel  Sewall  married  his  only  daughter, 
and,  it  is  said,  received  with  her  thirty  thousand  pounds  in  New 
England  shillings. 

This  year,  Hugh  Parsons,  of  Springfield,  was  tried  for  witchcraft, 
but  the  jury  and  the  magistrates  not  agreeing,  the  general  court 
acquitted  him.f 

This  year  a  prison  was  built  in  Ipswich,  being  the  second  in  the 
Massachusetts  colony. 

<  Stephen  Kent  formerly  of  Newbury  was  fined  ten  pounds  for 
suffering  five  Indians  to  be  drunk  in  his  house  in  Haverhill  and 
one  wounded,  shall  pay  the  fine  and  satisfy  for  the  cure  of  the 
wounded  Indian.' 

We  present '  Elizabeth  Randall  of  Nuberrie  for  useing  reproach- 
ful language  unto  goody  Silver  base  lieing  divell,  base  lieing  tode, 
base  lying  sow,  base  lying  iade.'  ^ 

In  December,  ( there  appeared  a  comet  in  Orion,  which  continued 
its  course  toward  the  zenith  for  the  space  of  a  fortnight  till  [the  rever- 
end] Mr.  Cotton  died?  $ 

It  is  thus  mentioned  in  the  records  of  the  first  church  in  Boston : 
4  December  ninth,  a  large  star  with  a  long  blaze  appeared.  It  grew 
less  and  less  till  the  twenty-second,  when  it  disappeared.'  The 
reverend  John  Cotton  died  the  twenty-third  of  December. 

November  29th,  1652.  <  There  was  voted  by  the  major  part  of 
the  towne  that  there  should  be  a  convenient  house  built  for  a 
schoole.' 

'  There  was  also  voted  that  there  should  be  twenty  pounds  a 
yeare  allowed  for  to  maintaine  a  school  master  out  of  the  towne 
rate. 

<  There  was  also  voted  that  Mr.  Woodman,  Richard  Kent,  junior, 
lieutenant  Pike  and  Nicholas  Noyes  should  be  a  committee  for  the 
managing  the  business  of  the  schoole.'  § 

These  votes,  with  the  exception  of  the  grant  of  ten  acres  of  land 
to  Anthony  Somerby  in  1639,  '  for  his  encouragement  to  keep 

*  County  records.  t  Hutchinson. 

4  Roxbury  church  records.  §  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  57 

schoole  for  one  year,'  contain  the  first  notice  on  record  of  the  town's 
intention  to  build  a  school-house  and  to  support  a  master  at  their 
expense.  This  was,  doubtless,  in  obedience  to  the  law  passed  by 
the  state  in  May,  1647,  as  may  be  seen  in  Ancient  Charters,  page 
186,  though  a  school  had  for  many  years  been  taught  in  the  meeting 
house. 

The  following  extract  from  the  first  section  of  the  act  of  May, 
1647,  is  worthy  of  perpetual  remembrance,  and  is  therefore  herp 
inserted. 

1  It  being  one  chief  project  of  Satan  to  keep  men  from  the  knowledge  of  the 
scripture,  as  in  former  times  keeping  them  in  unknown  tongues,  so  in  these 
latter  times  persuading  from  the  use  of  tongues,  so  that  at  least  the  true  sense 
and  meaning  of  the  original  might  be  clouded  and  corrupted  with  false  glosses 
of  deceivers  ;  to  the  end  that  learning  may  not  be  buried  in  the  graves  of  our 
forefathers,  in  church  and  commonwealth  the  Lord  assisting  our  endeavours,  it 
is  therefore  ordered,'  and  so  forth. 


1653. 

4  At  a  general  meeting  of  the  towne,  the  fourteenth  of  May,  1653, 
there  was  ordered  that  the  towne  should  by  an  equal  proportion 
according  to  men's  estate  by  way  of  rate  pay  twenty-four  pounds 
by  the  yeare  to  maintaine  a  free  schoole  to  be  kept  at  the  meeting 
house,  and  the  master  is  to  leach  all  such  inhabitants'  children,  as  shall 
be  sent  to  him  so  soon  as  they  know  their  letters  and  begin  to  read.'  * 

Against  the  establishment  of  such  a  school,  seventeen  persons 
<  desired  to  have  their  dissents  recorded,'  all  of  whom,  it  appears, 
resided  so  far  from  the  meeting-house  that  their  children  could  not 
conveniently  attend  the  school.  They  were  therefore  unwilling  to 
be  taxed  to  support  an  institution,  which,  however  advantageous  to 
the  whole  town,  was  not  directly  beneficial  to  them. 

September.  *  Tristram  Coffyn's  wife  Dionis  was  presented  for 
selling  beer,'  at  his  ordinary  in  Newbury,  *  for  three  pence  a  quart.' 
Having  proved  '  upon  the  testimony  of  Samuel  Moores,  that  she 
put  six  bushels  of  malt  into  the  hogshead  she  was  discharged.'  f 

The  law,  which  she  was  supposed  to  have  violated,  was  passed 
in  1645,  and  is  as  follows,  namely : 

1  Every  person  licensed  to  keep  an  ordinary,  shall  always  be  pro- 
vided with  good  wholesome  beer  of  four  bushels  of  malt  to  the 
hogshead,  which  he  shall  not  sell  above  two  pence  the  ale  quart  on 
penalty  of  forty  shillings  the  first  offence  and  for  the  second  offence 
shall  lo<se  his  license.' 

Goodwife  Coffyn  probably  reasoned  thus : 

4  As  four  is  to  two,  so  is  six  to  three.  I  '11  have  better  beer  than 
my  neighbours  and  be  paid  for  it.  A  fig  for  the  law.' 

Other  presentments  for  violations  of  the  law  of  more  consequence 

*  Town  records.  t  County  records. 

8 


58  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

than  selling  beer  were  multiplied.  Many  of  these  were  for  not 
regarding  the  sumptuary  law  of  1651. 

For  instance,  l  Nicholas  Noyes'  wife,  Hugh  March's  wife,  and 
William  Chandler's  wife  were  each  presented  for  wearing  a  silk 
hood  and  scarfe,'  but  were  discharged  on  proof  that  their  husbands 
were  worth  two  hundred  pounds  each.  John  Hutchins'  wife  was 
also  discharged  '  upon  testimony  of  her  being  brought  up  above  the 
ordinary  ranke.' 

Joseph  Swett's  wife  for  the  same  offence  was  fined  ten  shillings. 
Agnes,  the  wife  of  deacon  Richard  Knight,  was  also  presented. 
This  troubled  the  good  deacon  exceedingly,  and  induced  him  to 
solicit  Mr.  Rawson  to  send  the  following  letter  to  one  of  the  magis- 
trates at  Salem. 

'HONORABLE  SIR, 

An  honest  godly  man,  a  friend  of  mine  in  Newbury,  whose  name  is 
Richard  Knight,  whether  of  ignorance  or  wilfulness  by  some  neighbour  is  pre- 
sented for  his  wife's  wearing  of  a  silk  hood,  supposing  he  has  not  been  worth 
two  hundred  pounds.  It  being  a  grievance  to  him,  who  is  advanced  [in  years]  to 
be  summoned  to  a  court,  that  never  useth  to  trouble  any,  at  his  request  I  thought 
fit  to  inform  you  on  my  owne  knowledge  his  estate  is  better  worth  than  three 
hundred,  and  therefore  I  desire  you  would,  as  you  may,  forbeare,  in  your  war- 
rant to  insert  his  name  in  it,  it  may  be ;  if  not,  at  least  that  you  would  take 
private  satisfaction  of  him  in  your  chamber,  which  he  can  easily  give  you,  or 
any,  in  a  moment.  Not  else  at  present  but  my  service  to  you  and  Mr.  Symon 
Bradstreet. 

Your  friend  and  servant, 

EDWARD  RAWSON. 

Now  at  Newbury,  the  fourteenth  of  August,  1653.' 

'  This  letter,  as  it  will  be  seen,  was  of  no  avail,  though  the  woman 
was  acquitted.' 

This  year,  the  road  was  laid  out  from  Andover  to  Newbury, 
*  leaving  Rowley  way  at  the  beginning  of  a  plain  by  a  little  swamp 
called  Barberry  swamp,  thence  the  old  way  to  Falls  river,  thence 
over  the  head  of  Cart  creek,  thence  to  Hull's  bridge  over  Hull's  plain 
to  the  mill  bridge,'  and  so  forth. 

This  year  Newbury  gave  fifteen  pounds  to  Harvard  college. 

September  7th.  '  The  court,  on  hearing  that  lieutenant  Robert 
Pike  declared  that  'such  persons  as  did  act  in  making  that  law 
restraining  unfit  persons  from  constant  preaching  did  break  their 
oath  to  the  country,  for,  said  he,  it  is  against  the  liberty  of  the 
country,  both  civil  and  ecclesiastical,'  declared  that  he  had  been 
guilty  of  defaming  the  general  court,  and  order  that  he  shall  be 
disfranchised,  disabled  from  holding  any  publick  office,  bound  to 
his  good  behaviour,  and  fined  twenty  marks,'  equal  to  thirteen 
pounds,  six  shillings,  and  eight-pence. 

The  law  alluded  to  above  was  made  to  restrain  Joseph  Peasley  and 
Thomas  Macy,  formerly  of  Newbury,  then  of  Salisbury,  new  town, 
from  exhorting  the  people  on  the  sabbath  in  the  absence  of  a  minister. 
This  order  had  no  effect  on  Joseph  Peasley,  who  still  continued  his 
preaching  in  defiance  of  the  law,  as  we  find,  in  the  year  1659. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  59 

The  punishment  inflicted  on  lieutenant  Pike  caused  a  great 
sensation  in  the  neighboring  towns.  Petitions  were  presented  to  the 
general  court,  containing  the  names  of  nearly  all  the  citizens  of 
Newbury,  Andover,  Hampton,  Salisbury,  and  so  forth,  earnestly 
entreating  the  magistrates  to  remit  the  punishment  and  the  fine 
imposed  on  lieutenant  Pike.  The  whole  case  is  a  very  instructive 
one.  It  exhibits,  on  the  one  hand,  the  watchful  jealousy  of  the 
people,  in  consequence  of  any  supposed  or  real  incroachments  on 
their  civil  or  ecclesiastical  rights,  and  on  the  other  hand  the  deter- 
mination of  the  magistrates  not  to  have  their  authority  lightly  called 
in  question. 

They  immediately  chose  a  committee  to  call  the  petitioners  of  the 
several  towns  together,  ascertain  their  reasons  for  signing  the  petition, 
and  make  return.  This  was  done  in  1654,  and  eight  Newbury  men 
were  bound  to  their  good  behavior  in  a  bond  of  ten  pounds  each  for 
signing  the  petition,  the  remainder  having  acknowledged  their  offence. 

October  29th.     There  was  a  small  shock  of  an  earthquake. 

1654. 

Kent's  island,  with  sixteen  cows  and  four  oxen  on  it,  was  let  this 
year,  for  seven  years,  by  Richard  Kent,  to  Launcelot  Granger,  ^for 
forty-six  pounds  a  year. 

1  On  the  ninth  of  June  this  year  there  was  a  storme  of  thunder 
and  haile,  such  as  hath  not  been  heard  of  in  New  England  since 
the  first  planting  thereof,  which  haile  fell  in  the  bounds  of  Hampton, 
the  haile  being  to  admiration  for  the  multitude  thereof,  so  that  in 
some  places  it  remained  after  the  storm  was  over  twelve  inches  in 
thickness  and  was  not  all  dissolved  in  two  days,  many  of  which 
haile  were  said  to  be  three  or  four  inches  in  length.'^ 

September  21st.  t  Liberty  was  granted  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
4  old  towne '  to  make  a  fence  and  hang  a  gate  acrosse  the  way  about 
Anthony  Short's  or  John  Knight's  provided  they  hinder  not  the 
cattell  from  going  into  the  commons  there.'  f 

Many  such  fences  and  gates  were  erected  in  various  parts  of  the 
town.  There  were  two  on  the  south  side  of  *  the  river  Parker,'  one, 
a  few  rods  north  of  the  present  first  parish  meeting-house,  another, 
on  the  'four  rod  way'  south  of  Turkey  hill,  and  in  many  other 
places.  At  this  time,  and  for  many  years  after,  travelers,  who 
usually  went  on  horseback,  were  obliged  every  few  miles  to  dismount 
and  open  a  gate,  which  the  town  ordered  to  be  made  to  open  and 
shut '  flippantly.' 

'  John  Emery  was  chosen  to  answer  at  the  next  court  at  Ipswich 
concerning  the  presentment  about  the  way  to  Andover.'  f 

The  selectmen  were  ordered  to  examine  and  require  *  an  account 
of  the  money  or  goods,  that  hath  been  gathered  to  purchase  a  bell, 
in  whose  hands  it  is,  and  to  make  report  to  the  towne.'  f 

*  Hampton  records.  t  Town  records. 


60  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

The  bell,  we  have  reason  to  suppose,  was  obtained  about  this 
time,  as  we  find  in  December,  1665,  that  Anthony  Morse  was  chosen 
1  to  keep  the  meeting-house  and  ring'  the  bell? 

This  year  the  general  court  declare  that  *  Richard  Thorlay  having 
built  a  bridge  over  Newbury  river,  at  his  owne  cost  hath  liberty  to 
take  toll  for  cattle,  sheep,  and  so  forth,  so  long  as  he  shall  maintain 
and  repair  the  same,  passengers  free.' 

1655. 

April  25th.  i  The  towne  granted  to  captain  Paul  White  a  par- 
cell  of  land,  not  exceeding  half  an  acre,  about  Watts  his  cellar  ^ 
for  to  make  a  dock,  a  wharf,  and  a  warehouse,  provided  he  do 
build  a  dock,  and  warehouse  as  aforesaid ;  but  the  town  granteth 
no  liberty  of  freehold  or  commonage  hereby  and  if  he  shall  here- 
after sell  it,  when  he  hath  built  upon  it,  the  town  shall  have  the 
forsaking  of  it.'  f 

This  is  the  first  record  of  a  grant  to  any  person,  for  permission 
to  build  a  wharf,  and  so  forth,  on  the  Merrimack.  The  grantee, 
captain  Paul  White,  was  a  merchant,  who  had  been  engaged  in 
trade  for  some  years  at  Pemaquid,  now  Bristol,  Maine,  and  had 
been  in  Newbury  about  two  years. 

May  25th,  1655.  Joseph  Swett  petitions  the  honorable  court  to 
confirm  to  him  the  grant  of  '  Deer  island,  which  the  selectmen  of 
Newbury  have  granted  him,  which  is  not  above  six  acres  of  land, 
and  is  not  above  six  or  eight  rods  from  Newbury  shore,'  and  so  forth. 

This  year,  in  July,  an  epidemical  disease,  like  that  in  1647, 
pervaded  New  England,  '  whereof  many  died.' 

June.  George  Carr  made  '  a  floating  bridge  five  feet  wide  with 
rails  on  each  side,'  from  his  island  to  Salisbury  shore.  '  The  floate 
bridge,'  says  George  Carr, '  is  above  two  hundred  and  seventy  feet 
long  with  ye  faule.' 

The  people  of  Hampton,  New  Hampshire,  proposed  to  join  with 
Rowley,  in  petitioning  the  general  court  for  a  country  way,  from 
Carr's  ferry  to  [doctor]  Clark's  farm,  [near  Thurrill's  bridge,]  and  so 
*  as  direct  from  thence  as  may  be  to  Rowley  line.'  J 


1656. 

May  7th.  On  this  day,  '  the  half  acre  of  land/  granted  last  year 
to  captain  Paul  White,  was  laid  out '  at  the  end  of  Fish  street  [now 
State  street]  joyneing  to  Merrimack  river  on  the  northwest,  and  from 
the  river  by  the  great  rocks  upon  a  strait  lyne  to  a  stake  by  the  way, 

*  c  Watts  his  cellar,'  which  is  frequently  mentioned  in  the  town  records,  and  in  deeds 
of  land,  was  on,  or  just  below,  the  spot  where  the  market-house  in  Newburyport  now 
stands.  This  Watts  was,  undoubtedly,  the  first  person  who  dug  a  cellar  within  the 
limits  of  '  ould  Newberry.'  He  was  probably  engaged  in  fishing  and  trading  with  the 
Indians. 

t  Town  records.  J  Hampton  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  61 

and  from  that  stake  to  another  stake  westerly  by  another  great 
rocke,*1  and  from  a  stake  running  over  part  of  the  rock  upon  a 
straight  lyne  westward  to  another  stake  by  the  dock.'  f 

With  the  conditions  of  the  grant  he  complied,  and  built  a  wharf, 
warehouse,  and  *  stillhouse,'  and  made  a  dock.  He  was  extensively 
engaged  in  business  till  his  death,  July  twentieth,  1679. 

In  June,  of  this  year,  Mrs.  Ann  Hibbens  was  executed  in  Boston, 
for  the  supposed  crime  of  witchcraft.  '  This,'  says  Hutchinson, 
'  was  the  second  instance  on  record  of  any  person's  being  executed 
for  witchcraft  in  New  England.  Her  husband,  who  died  1654,  had 
been  a  magistrate,  and  a  merchant  of  note.' 

1  Mr.  Noise,  the  blessed  light  at  Newbury  died.'  J  This  was  the 
reverend  James  Noyes,  who  died  October  twenty-second,  1656. 
He  had  been  teacher  of  the  church  in  Newbury  from  its  first 
formation. 

1657- 

In  the  month  of  March,  died,  in  Rowley,  Mr.  Henry  Sewall, 
whose  only  son  Henry,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Newbury. 
He  came  to  Newbury  soon  after  his  father,  and  after  the  removal  of 
the  meeting-house  from  the  lower  green,  to  the  place  where  it  now 
stands,  in  1646,  he  crossed  the  river  to  Rowley,  and  there  resided 
through  the  remainder  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage.  During  the  latter 
part  of  his  life,  he  is  said  to  have  been  occasionally  a  little  deranged. 
This  was  probably  the  cause  of  his  being  two  or  three  times 
presented  by  the  grand  jury  for  various  offences.  The  first  instance 
was  in  December,  1650.  The  testimony  was  as  follows,  namely : 

'  Mr.  Showell  was  walking  in  the  foremost  seat  in  the  meeting-house  neare 
the  pulpit  and  Mr.  Rogers  being  present  and  ready  to  step  into  the  place  to 
begin  prayer,  said,  Mr.  Showell,  cease  your  walking.  Mr.  S.  answered,  you 
should  have  come  sooner,  with  more  words  to  that  purpose,  but  he  not  ceasing 
his  walking,  presently  our  pastour  added  these  words,  remember  where  you 
are,  this  is  the  house  of  God,  to  which  Mr.  S.  answered  with  a  lowd  voyce  I 
know  how  to  behave  in  the  house  of  God  as  well  as  you.  Then  our  pastour 
said  rather  than  that  he  disturb  the  congregation,  putt  him  out,  to  which  Mr.  S. 
replyed,  lett  us  see  who  dare.  After  this  a  brother  spake  unto  Mr.  Showell  in 
a  friendly  way,  but  Mr.  S.  with  a  stearne  countenance  and  threatning  manner 
saide  he  would  take  a  course  with  some  of  us  and  in  many  other  wordes  we  doe 
not  now  remember.  Upon  another  Lord's  day  Mr.  S.  was  walking,  a  part  of 
the  congregation  being  assembled,  Mr.  S.  did  exclaim  thus  with  an  audible 
voyce,  looking  up,  good  Lord,  this  day  is  spent  I  know  not  how,  and  nothing  is 
yet  done,  expressing  some  trouble  in  other  words.'  , 

October.  General  court  ordered,  that  '  the  penalty  for  entertain- 
ing quakers  should  be  forty  shillings.' 

*  '  The  great  rocke,'  mentioned  in  the  grant,  stood  where  Mr.  George  Granger's  store 
now  stands,  and  was  at  least  twenty  feet  high, 
t  Town  records, 
j:  Roxbury  church  records. 


62  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 


1658. 

This  year,  it  appears,  incidentally,  that  the  town  contemplated 
building  a  new  meeting-house,  as  a  committee  were  appointed  to 
sell  Edward  Woodman  twelve  acres  of  marsh,  for  which  he 
*  engages  to  pay  either  in  boards  or  nayles  or  both  for  the  meeting- 
house.' %• 

At  what  time,  precisely,  the  '  new  meeting-house '  was  built,  no 
record  informs  us.  It  was,  however,  erected  prior  to  1661,  as  will 
be  seen  under  that  year. 

'  Newbury  upon  their  presentment  for  want  of  a  lattin  scoole  is 
to  pay  five  pounds  to  Ipswich  lattin  scool,  unles  they  by  the  next 
court  provyde  a  lattin  scoole  master  according  to  law.'  f 

This  year,  in  May  and  October,  there  was  great  difficulty  among 
the  military  companies  of  Newbury,  which  was  finally  settled  by 
the  general  court,  who  ordered  four  persons  '  to  be  severally  admon- 
ished and  pay  the  several  charges  of  their  neighbours  the  last 
court,  namely,  four  pounds,  eight  shillings.' 

In  this  year,  Salem  paid  fifty-three  pounds,  Ipswich  seventy-two 
pounds,  and  Newbury  thirty-four  pounds,  of  the  province  rate. 


1659. 

'  William  Trotter  for  slanderous  speeches,  to  make  publick 
acknowledgement  next  lecture  day.'  f 

October.  Sixteen  inhabitants  of  Newbury,  and  six  of  Dover, 
petition  the  general  court  to  grant  them  i  a  tract  of  twelve  miles 
square,'  in  a  '  place  called  Pennecooke,'  and  <  crave  the  liberty  of 
three  years  to  give  in  their  resolution,'  and,  in  case  they  determine 
to  settle  i  a  plantation  soe  far  remote,'  '  to  have  ye  grant  of  their 
freedom  from  publique  charge  for  ye  space  of  seven  years,'  and  so 
forth.  The  court  granted  them  eight  miles  square,  on  certain  con- 
ditions, with  which  they  did  not  comply.  <  Pennecooke,'  now 
Concord,  was  not  settled  till  1730,  though  the  first  white  family 
moved  there  in  1727. 

*  April  thirtieth,  old  style,  there  was  a  great  storme  of  snowe, 
which  lay  three  or  four  inches  thick  upon  May-day  in  the  morning.' J 

This  year  several  persons  were  prosecuted  and*  fined  for  violating 
the  law  of  1657,  which  prohibited  '  entertaining  quakers.'  Among 
them  was  Thomas  Macy,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Newbury,  but 
at  this  time  a  resident  in  Salisbury.  Complaint  having  been  made 
against  him,  he  was  summoned  to  appear  before  the  general  court, 
to  answer  the  charges  preferred  against  him.  Instead  of  complying 
with  the  requisition,  he  sent  a  letter,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
copy. 

*  Proprietors'  records.  f  County  records.  J  Hampton  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  63 

.*  This  is  to  entreat  the  honored  court  not  to  be  offended  because  of  my  non- 
appearance.  It  is  not  from  any  slighting  the  authority  of  this  honored  court, 
nor  from  feare  to  answer  the  case,  but  I  have  bin  for  some  weeks  past  very  ill, 
and  am  so  at  present,  and  notwithstanding  my  illness,  yet  I,  desirous  to  appear, 
have  done  my  utmost  endeavour  to  hire  a  horse,  but  cannot  procure  one  at 
present.  I  being  at  present  destitute  have  endeavoured  to  purchase,  but  at 
present  cannot  attaine  it.  but  I  shall  relate  the  truth  of  the  case  as  my  answer 
should  be  to  ye  honored  court,  and  more  cannot  be  proved,  nor  so  much.  On  a 
rainy  morning  there  came  to  my  house  Edward  Wharton  and  three  men  more ; 
the  said  Wharton  spoke  to  me  saying  that  they  were  traveling  eastward,  and 
desired  me  to  direct  them  in  the  way  to  Hampton,  and  asked  me  how  far  it  was 
to  Casco  bay.  I  never  saw  any  of  ye  men  afore  except  Wharton,  neither  did  I 
require  their  names,  or  who  they  were,  but  by  their  carriage  I  thought  they 
might  be  quakers  and  told  them  so,  and  therefore  desired  them  to  passe  on 
their  way,  saying  to  them  I  might  possibly  give  offence  in  entertaining  them, 
and  as  soone'as  the  violence  of  the  rain  ceased  (for  it  rained  very  hard)  they 
went  away,  and  I  never  saw  them  since.  The  time  that  they  stayed  in  the 
house  was"  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  but  I  can  safely  affirmeut  was  not 
an  houre.  They  spake  not  many  words  in  the  time,  neither  was  I  at  leisure  to» 
talke  with  them  for  I  came  home  wet  to  ye  skin  immediately  afore  they  came 
to  the  house,  and  I  found  my  wife  sick  in  bed.  If  this  satish'e  not  the  honored 
court,  I  sfyall  subject  to  their  sentence :  I  have  not  willingly  offended.  I  am 
ready  to  serve  and  obey  you  in  the  Lord.' 

THO.  MACY.* 

Notwithstanding  this  explanation  and  apology,  he  was  fined 
thirty  shillings,  and  was  ordered  to  be  admonished  by  the  governor, 
for  '  entertaining  quakers,'  two  of  whom,  William  Robinson  and 
Marmaduke  Stephenson,  were  hung  in  Boston,  December  twenty- 
seventh-,  1659. 

Tradition  informs  us,  that  Thomas  Macy,  immediately  after  his 
sentence,  took  an  open  boat,  and  with  his  wife  and  children,  went 
to  Nantucket,  was  one  of  the  first  English  settlers  in  that  island, 
and  there  resided  the  remainder  of  his  life.  An  amusing  ballad, 
founded  on  the  above-mentioned  incidents,  was  written  by  the  poet 
J.  G.  Whittier,  and  published  some  years  ago  in  a  Philadelphia 
annual.  See  appendix. 

1660. 

March  16£A,  old  style.  There  was  a  very  severe  '  storm  of  driving 
snow,  which  drove  up  in  drifts  four  feet  deep.'  f 

The  winter  of  1659-60  was  '  a  very  hard  winter.'  f 

This  year  the  county  court  *  order  a  road  from  Rowley  to  Newbury 
by  Richard  Thurrell's  bridge.' 

In  September,  a  return  was  made  of  the  road,  which  was  laid 
out  from  the  north  end  of  Rowley  to  Thorla's  bridge,  and  so  on 
through  the  farms  of  Edmund  Moore's  and  Robert  Adams,  then  to 
Trotter's  bridge,  then  to  the  meeting  house  of  Newbury  as  Andover 
way  is  laid  out.'  if 

This  year  the  general  court  granted  to  several  inhabitants  of 
Newbury,  on  their  petition,  a  tract  of  land  on  Saco  river,  '  provided 
they  have  twenty  families  and  a  minister  settled  within  four  years.' 

*  General  court  files.  t  Hampton  records.  J  County  records. 


64  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 


1661. 


January  28th.  The  selectmen  agreed  with  Henry  Jaques  to 
'  build  a  gallery  in  the  new  meeting  house  at  both  ends  and  all  along 
on  the  west  side  with  three  substantiall  seats  all  along  both  sides 
and  ends,  the  said  Henry  Jaques  shall  fell  the  timber  and  provide 
all  the  stuff  both  planks,  boards,  rayles,  and  juyces  and  nayles  and  to 
bring  the  stuff  all  in  place  and  make  for  it  three  payre  of  stayres  and 
whatever  else  is  requisite  to  compleate  the  said  gallery,  for  which 
he  is  to  have  i  thirty  ^pounds  in  good  current  pay  or  provisions.' 
Also  the  said  Henry  Jaques  shall  have  all  the  old  stuffe  of  the  old 
gallery  in  the  old  meeting  house.  The  said  Henry  Jaques  is  also  to 
lay  a  floore  all  over  the  meeting  house  from  beame  to  beame  and 
the  towne  doth  engage  to  provide  juyces,  boards  and  nayles,'  and 
so  forth,  and  so  forth. 

From  this  it  is  evident  that  both  houses  were  standing  at  the 
same  time.  The  old  house  stood  north  of  the  new  one. 

June  22d.  The  selectmen  discharged  the  lot  layers,  '  as  there  is 
no  more  land  to  be  granted  by  the  towne.' 

The  same  month, c  the  meeting  house  was  seated,'  as  it  was  called. 
Every  man  and  woman  had  his  or  her  seat  designated,  the  men  and 
women  in  separate  seats.  The  galleries  were,  as  now,  on  the  north, 
west,  and  south  sides  of  the  house,  and  were  then  considered  as 
the  most  desirable  parts  of  the  house.  In  the  foreseat  of  the  west 
gallery,  were  thirteen  men,  'which,'  say  the  selectmen,  (are  as  many 
as  can  comfortably  set  in  it,  and  no  more  may  be  imposed  or 
intruded  into  it.' 

September  23d.  Plum  island  was  divided,  to  'every  one  his 
just  right,'  '  beginning  at  the  upland  neere  Merrimack  barre  and  so 
extending  to  Sandy  beach.' 

September   25th.     Another   division   was    made,  '  beginning   at 
Rowley  bounds  and  reaching  to  Sandy  beach.' 
~  March  9th.     General  court  repeal  the  laws  against  quakers. 

Charles  second  proclaimed  king,  the  eighth  of  August. 

The  following  singular  order  is  found  in  the  Hampton  records. 
It  is  a  curious  illustration  of  the  state  of  society  at  that  period. 

May  I6th}  1661.  '  It  is  ordered  yt  if  any  person  shall  discharge  a  gunn  in 
the  meeting  house,  or  any  other  house  without  leave  of  the  owner  or  house 
holder,  hee  or  they  shall  forfeit  five  shillings  for  every  such  offence  nor  shall 
any  person  ride  or  lead  a  horse  into  the  meeting  house  under  the  like  penalty.' 


1662. 

This  year  another  physician,  doctor  Henry  Greenland,  with  his 
wife  Mary,  came  to  Newbury.  He  appears  to  have  to  have  been  a 
man  of  good  education,  but  passionate,  unprincipled,  and  grossly 
immoral.  He  of  course  soon  became  involved  in  difficulties  with 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  65 

his  neighbors,  and  caused  great  excitement  among  the  sober  citizens 
of  the  town,  who  had  not  been  accustomed  to  such  specimens  of 
immorality,  as  he  had  displayed  before  them. 

'  It  pleased  the  Lord/  says  the  apostle  Elliot,  *  to  exercise  the 
country  with  a  very  severe  drought,  which  some  were  so  rash  as  to 
impute  to  the  sitting  of  the  synod,  but  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  bear 
witness  against  their  rashness,  for  no  sooner  was  the  synod  met,  June 
tenth,  but  they  agreed  to  set  the  next  day  apart  to  seek  his  favorable 
presence,  and  to  ask  raine,  and  ye  day  following  the  Lord  sent 
showers  from  heaven,  and  visited  the  land  with  seasonable  showers 
of  rain,  week  after  week  until  the  harvest.'  # 

March  3d.  '  The  marsh  lands  in  the  neck  over  the  great  river  were 
divided  as  the  lands  were  in  Plum  island,  beginning  at  the  west 
end.'  f 

This  year  the  highway  from  Newbury  to  Haverhill  was  laid  out. 

'  John  Atkinson  [hatter]  had  half  an  acre  of  land  by  the  spring 
near  Anthony  Morse,  junior's,  house.'  f 

Newbury  was  fined  ten  pounds  for  not  sending  a  deputy  to  general 
court.  It  was  afterward  remitted. 

Captain  Paul  White  was  licensed  by  general  court l  to  still  strong 
waters  for  a  yeare  and  sell  by  the  quart.'  J 

The  county  court  ordered  the  road  by  Thorla's  bridge,  to  be  made 
passable  by  the  twelfth  of  October,  1662,  under  penalty  of  ten  pounds. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  March,  an  event  occurred  in  Ipswich, 
which  caused  great  excitement  in  Essex  county.  On  that  day,  one 
J.  P.  was  incarcerated  in  Ipswich,  and  i  did  that  night  break  prison/ 
1  it  being,'  as  the  record  informs  us,  <  the  first  offence  of  this  nature 
committed  in  this  country.' 

The  jailer,  Theophilus  Wilson,  deposes,  that,  on  that  day,  4  he, 
according  to  order  of  court,  put  him  into  prison,  and  lockt  the  dore 
fast,  and  put  the  hasp  on  to  the  staple  on  the  ontsyde  of  the  dore^ 
which  none  within  can  unhasp,  and  left  no  tooles  or  means  of  light 
in  the  prison.'  J 

It  was  afterward  discovered  that  some  of  J.  P.'s  neighbors,  not 
liking  his  confinement,  went  to  Ipswich  in  the  night,  '  nnhasped  the 
dore  on  the  outsyde]  and  so  forth,  and  let  him  return  home. 

In  the  quarterly  court  records,  I  find  the  following : 

(  We,  James  Ordway,  John  Woolcot.  Peter  Godfrey  and  Joshua  Woodman, 
do  acknowledge  that  we  are  justly  to  be  blamed  to  come  into  the  seats  of  other 
men  contrary  to  the  order  of  the  selectmen  and  here  by  the  presents  we  do 
engage  ourselves  that  we  will  keep  to  our  own  seats  and  not  disturb  any  man  in 
their  seats  any  more.'  i  This  engagement  was  unto  the  selectmen  the  sixth  of 
June  1662.' 

The  cause  of  their  offence  was  an  apprehension  that  the  select- 
men had,  without  sufficient  authority  from  the  town,  built  some  new 
seats  in  the  gallery  and  assigned  them  to  some  individuals.  They 

*  Roxbury  church  records.          f  Town  records.  J  General  court  records. 

9 


66  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

therefore  took  possession  of  these  seats,  to  which  the  selectmen  had 
not  given  them  any  right.  Hence  there  was  a  contention  in  the 
meeting-house,  a  summons  for  them  to  appear  at  court,  and  a  set- 
tlement by  their  promise  to  behave  better  in  time  to  come. 

'  The  winter  was  very  moderate.  No  frost  in  the  ground  till  the 
twentieth  of  December.'  * 

1663. 

'  January  26th.  There  was  an  earthquake,  at  the  shutting  in  of 
the  evening,'  one  of  the  greatest  in  New  England,  and  on  February 
fifth,  another.  The  first  shock  continued  above  half  an  hour.  On 
the  same  day,  at  evening,  another,  and  did  not  cease  till  July 
following. 

On  the  records  of  the  court  at  Salem,  I  find  the  following,  namely : 

'  May  5th,  1663.  Lydia  Wardwell  on  her  presentment  for  coming  naked  into 
Newbury  meeting  house.  The  sentence  of  the  court  is,  that  she  shall  be 
severely  whipt  and  pay  the  costs  and  fees  to  the  marshall  of  Hampton  for 
bringing  her.  Costs,  ten  shillings,  fees  two  shillings  and  sixpence. 

The  maiden  name  of  the  person,  who  was  induced  to  make  such 
an  exhibition  in  Newbury  meeting-house,  in  the  time  of  worship, 
was  Lydia  Perkins,  but  at  this  time  the  wife  of  Eliakim  Wardwell 
of  Hampton.  The  story  is  thus  told  by  George  Bishop,  in  his 
i  New  England  Judged.'  It  is  proper  to  state,  that,  so  far  as  I 
know,  he  is,  with  one  exception,  the  only  writer,  who  attempts  to 
justify  conduct  so  strange  and  fanatical. 

1  His  wife  Lydia,  being  a  young  and  tender  chaste  woman,  seeing  the  wick- 
edness of  your  priests  and  rulers  to  her  husband,  was  not  at  all  oftended  with 
the  truth,  but  as  your  wickedness  abounded,  so  she  withdrew  and  separated 
from  your  church  at  Newbury,  of  wrhich  she  was  sometimes  a  member,  and 
being  given  up  fo  the  leading  of  the  Lord,  after  she  had  been  often  sent  for  to 
come  thither,  to  give  a  reason  of  such  a  separation,  it  being  at  length  upon  her 
in  the  consideration  of  their  miserable  condition,  who  were  thus  blinded  with 
ignorance  and  persecution,  to  go  to  them,  and  as  a  sign  to  them  she  went  in 
(though  it  was  exceeding  hard  to  her  modest  and  shamefaced  disposition,) 
naked  amongst  them,  which  put  them  into  such  a  rage,  instead  of  consideration, 
they  soon  laid  hands  on  her,  and  to  the  next  court  at  Tpswich  had  her,  where 
without  law  they  condemned  her  to  be  tyed  to  the  fence-post  of  the  tavern 
where  they  sat  —  and  there  sorely  lashed  her  with  twenty  or  thirty  cruel  stripes. 
And  this  is  the  discipline  of  the  church  of  Newbury  in  New  England,  and  this 
is  their  religion,  and  their  usage  of  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord,  who  in  a  great 
cross  to  her  natural  temper,  came  thus  among  them,  a  sign  indeed,  signincatory 
enough  to  them,  and  suitable  to  their  state,  who  undeir  the  visor  of  religion, 
were  thus  blinded  into  cruel  persecution.' 

In  the  same  year  I  find  the  following,  namely : 

1  Elizabeth  Webster  for  taking  a  faulse  oath.  The  sentence  of  the  court  is  that 
she  shall  stand  at  the  meeting  house  dore  at  Newbury  the  next  lecture  day 

*  Hampton  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURT.  67 

from  the  ringing  the  first  bell,  until  the  minister  be  ready  to  begin  prayer 
with  a  paper  on  her  head,  written  in  capitall  letters,  (FOR  TAKING  A  FALSE  OATH 
IN  COURT,)  the  constable  to  see  it  done,  or  else  to  paye  a  fine  of  five  pounds  to 
the  treasurer,  and  to  be  disabled  from  taking  an  oath,  and  to  pay  cost  and  fees.' 
1  She  made  choice  to  stand  at  the  doore.'  * 

At  the  same  court,  '  John  Emery  was  fined  four  pounds  for  enter- 
taining quakers.' 

His  offence  consisted  in  granting  food  and  lodging  to  two  men 
and  two  women,  who  were  traveling  farther  east.  One  of  the 
witnesses  '  testified  that  he  [John  Emery]  took  them  by  the  hand 
and  bid  them  welcome.'  I  shall  make  no  comments  on  these  extracts, 
nor  any  apology  for  inserting  them.  The  duty  of  an  historian  is  to 
find  facts,  and  not  to  make  them.  An  accurate  picture  of  the  sun 
should  exhibit  its  spots  as  well  as  its  brightness.  To  veil  the  one, 
or  omit  the  other,  \vould  be  a  caricature,  and  not  a  likeness,  and, 
should  the  features  I  have  attempted  to  delineate,  here  or  elsewhere, 
be  deemed  harsh  and  repulsive,  the  blame  should  be  cast,  not  on  the 
accuracy  of  the  painter,  but  the  inherent  ugliness  of  the  subject 
The  first  settlers  of  New  England  were  a  noble  race  of  men,  and 
the  wonder  is,  not  that  they  had  faults,  but  that  they  were  so  few  in 
comparison  with  all  other  sects  and  people  of  the  age  in  which  they 
lived.  *In  the  language  of  Bancroft, '  they,  of  all  contemporary  sects, 
were  the  most  free  from  credulity,  and  in  their  zeal  for  reform  pushed 
their  regulations  to  what  some  would  consider  a  skeptical  extreme. 
So  many  superstitions  had  been  bundled  up  with  every  venerable 
institution  of  Europe,  that  ages  have  not  yet  dislodged  them  all. 
The  puritans  at  once  emancipated  themselves  from  a  crowd  of 
observances.  They  established  a  worship  purely  spiritual.  To 
them  the  elements  remained  but  bread  and  wine ;  they  invoked  no 
saints ;  they  raised  no  altar ;  they  adored  no  crucifix ;  they  kissed 
no  book ;  they  asked  no  absolution  ;  they  paid  no  tithes ;  they  saw 
in  the  priest  nothing  more  than  a  man.  The  church,  as  a  place  of 
worship  was  to  them  but  a  meeting  house ;  they  dug  no  graves  in 
consecrated  earth.  Unlike  their  posterity,  they  married  without  a 
minister,  and  buried  the  dead  without  a  prayer.' 

On  March  thirty-first,  doctor  Henry  Greenland  was  found  guilty 
of  the  charge  preferred  against  him  by  Mary  Rolfe.  The  court 
sentenced  him  c  to  be  imprisoned  till  next  sessions  of  the  court,  then 
to  be  whipt  or  pay  a  fine  of  thirty  pounds  and  be  bound  to  good 
behaviour.' 

One  of  the  witnesses  in  his  behalf,  testified,  that  '  he  had  been  a 
soldier,  and  was  a  gentleman,  and  they  must  have  their  libertyes.' 
Another  asserted,  that,  as  he  was  a  stranger,  and  a  '  great  man,  it 
would  be  best  not  to  make  an  uprore  but  to  let  him  goe  away 
privately.' 

On  the  twenty-seventh  of  September,  1664,  he  was  convicted,  with 
captain  Walter*Barefoote,  of  an  assault  on  William  Thomas,  and 

*  County  records. 


68  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

Richard  Dole.  He  was  again  fined  and  bound  to  keep  the  peace. 
He  appealed  to  the  general  court,  who  confirmed  his  sentence,  and 
ordered  him  '  to  depart  the  jurisdiction  and  not  to  practice  physic  or 
surgery.'  From  1666  to  1672  he  was  living  in  Kittery,  where,  for 
the  present,  we  will  leave  him. 

June  18th.  John  and  Rebecca  Bishop  sold  to  Peter  Cheney  *  all 
the  mill  and  mill  house  lately  erected  in  Newbury  on  the  little  river 
with  the  stone,  wheel,  and  so  forth,  and  so  forth,  for  two  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  sterling.' 

July  26th.  This  day  the  reverend  John  Woodbridge  returned 
from  England,  where  he  had  resided  about  sixteen  years. 

He  was  immediately  engaged  to  assist  his  uncle  Parker  in 
preaching.  The  town  voted  him  thirty  pounds  for  the  first  half  year, 
beginning  the  twenty-fifth  of  September,  '  for  his  encouragement  in 
the  ministry.' 

November  10th.  '  The  country  way  according  to  order  of  court 
was  laid  out  from  Mill  bridge  to  Rowley  bounds,'  notwithstanding 
the  town's  remonstrance. 

As  this  <  country  way '  was  laid  out  in  a  new  place,  causing  the 
town  much  expense,  the  inhabitants  had  remonstrated  in  a  petition 
sent  to  the  general  court  the  preceding  June.  Among  other  things, 
they  state,  'wee  have  already  for  many  yeares  made  and  maintained 
an  ancient  country  rode  according  to  the  order  of  the  general  court, 
according  to  which  our  towne  hath  been  modelled  and  men  have 
built  and  fenced,  and  also  our  ferry  constituted,  whereas  our  towne 
might  otherwise  have  been  modelled  with  groat  convenience,  had  it 
not  been  for  the  country  high  way.  All  which  notwithstanding,  the 
honorable  county  court  is  pleased  to  impose  upon  us  this  new  coun- 
try high  way,  and  have  enjoined  us  under  a  fine  to  make  a  way 
over  a  great  marsh  of  about  a  hundred  rod  by  the  end  of  June, 
which  the  towne  are  in  no  wise  comfortably  capable  to  perform.' 
After  speaking  of  'the  extreme  charge,  which  the  towne  necessarily 
would  be  put  to,'  '  in  purchasing  land  through  men's  proprietyes  near 
three  mile,'  which  must  be  fenced,  and  bridges  built  over  several  con- 
siderable swamps  and  small  brooks,  and  so  forth,  '  beside  the  miry- 
nesse  of  the  said  waye  and  unevenness  of  it  by  reason  of  the  rocky 
and  low  lande,  through  which  the  way  is  to  goe,'  they  then  petition 
the  general  court,  *  that  so  great  a  burthen  may  not  be  imposed 
upon  us  but  that  the  country  may  be  satisfied  with  the  old  antient 
country  roade,  which  we  have  from  the  beginninge  of  our  towne 
maintained,'  or  '  that  their  fine  may  be  remitted,  and  that  the  said 
new  waye  may  be  purchased,  made  and  maintained  at  the  charge 
of  the  country  or  county,  or  by  those  that  have  occasion  to  make 
use  thereof.'  June  second,  1663. 

Jocelyn,  who  was  in  New  England  this  year,  thus  writes : 

*  On  the  south  side  of  Merrimack  river,  and  near  upon  the  wide 
venting  streams  thereof,  is  situated  Newberrie.  The  houses  are 
scattering,  well  stored  with  meadow,  upland,  and  arable,  and  about 
four  hundred  head  of  cattle.' 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  69 


1664. 

March.  On  petition  of  lieutenant  John  Pike,  an  acre  of  '  land, 
eight  rods  broad  and  twenty-two  long  was  laid  out  to  his  brother 
Thomas  Turvill,  beginning  at  a  stake  near  the  spring  between 
Henry  Jaques'  and  George  Littles'  for  to  set  up  tanning  of  leather, 
provided  he  follow  his  trade  of  tanning.'  # 

May  6th.  l  All  horses  and  dry  cattle  to  be  cleared  out  of  Plum 
island,  and  all  fences  to  be  made  up  by  the  thirteenth  of  May.'  # 

July  6th.  '  Giles  Cromwell  is  to  keep  the  boys  in  order  in  the 
meeting  house,  and  to  give  notice  to  selectmen  of  such  as  are  out 
of  order,  and  to  have  six  shillings  for  his  paynes.'  # 

October  26th.  '  Major  part  of  the  towne  voted  that  Mr.  Parker 
should  have  but  sixty  pounds  per  year.'  * 

Here  we  have  indirectly  the  first  intimation  of  any  difficulty 
between  the  reverend  Mr.  Parker  and  a  portion  of  the  church.  It 
had  been  of  long  standing,  and  originated,  as  we  shall  see  hereafter, 
not  from  any  difference  in  point  of  doctrine,  or  want  of  personal 
respect  and  esteem,  but  solely  from  his  change  of  views  respecting 
church  government.  Then-  first  recorded  manifestation  of  their 
disapproval  of  this  change  was  the  reduction  of  his  salary,  but  the 
next  June,  their  sense  of  justice  induced  them  to  raise  it  again  to 
eighty  pounds,  per  annum,  which,  notwithstanding  all  the  subse- 
quent difficulties,  in  which  he  was  involved  in  consequence  of  his 
change  of  opinion  respecting  church  government  and  discipline, 
was  regularly  paid  to  him  through  life. 

June  26th."  'About  this  time  began  the  blasting  of  the  wheat  to  be 
perceived.'  f  This  was  construed  by  the  quakers  as  a  judgment 
from  God,  an  evident  token  of  his  displeasure  against  the  people 
of  Massachusetts  for  the  cruel  persecutions,  which  had  been  inflicted 
on  many  of  that  persuasion  in  the  state  some  years  before.  Similar 
opinions  were  at  this  time  entertained  by  all  denominations  of 
Christians.  If  any  calamity  should  fall  upon  their  opponents,  it  was 
a  judgment ;  if  on  themselves,  it  was  a  trial. 


1665. 

'  Town  voted  to  pay  forty  shillings  for  every  wolf  that  is  killed 
within  the  towne.'  ^ 

June  3d.  Town  voted  that  Mr.  Parker  '  shall  have  eighty  pounds 
a  year,  and  Mr.  Woodbridge  sixty  pounds.' 

November  1st.  c  It  was  voted  whether  Mr.  Woodbridge  should 
be  chosen  by  papers  to  preach  to  the  towne  for  one  year.  There 
were  four  votes  in  the  affirmative  and  thirty-one  blanks.'  ^ 

December  25th.  Anthony  Morse,  senior,  is  to  keep  the  meeting- 
house and  ring  the  bell, '  see  that  the  house  be  cleane  swept,  and  the 

*  Town  records.  t  Roxbury  church  records. 


70  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

glasse  of  the  windows  to  be  carefully  look't  unto,  if  any  should 
happen  to  be  loosed  with  the  wind,  to  be  nailed  close  again.'  * 

4  The  winter  of  1664-65  was  mild  and  moderate  till  the  middle  of 
the  month.  On  the  fourth  of  February  a  comet  disappeared,  which 
had  been  visible  from  the  seventeenth  of  November  1664.' 

'  Winter  and  summer  wheat,  again  struck  with  mildew.'  f 

At  the  close  of  this  summer,  Philip  Carteret,  having  been  appointed 
governor  of  New  Jersey,  settled  at  Elizabethtown,  which  he  made 
the  seat  of  his  government,  and  despatched  agents  into  New  Eng- 
land to  publish  the  constitution  and  invite  emigrants.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  invitation,  several  persons  went  from  Newbury  and 
settled  in  a  township,  which,  in  honor  of  the  reverend  John  Wood- 
bridge,  of  Newbury,  was  called  Woodbridge,  which  name  it  still 
retains.  Of  these  emigrants  from  Newbury  some  returned,  while 
others  remained,  and  became  distinguished  both  in  civil  and  military 
life.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned  the  names  of  captain  John 
Pike,  the  ancestor  of  general  Zebulon  Montgomery  Pike,  who  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Queenstown  in  1812,  Thomas  Bl  cornfield,  the 
ancestor  of  Joseph  Bloomfield,  for  some  years  governor  of  New 
Jersey,  John  Bishop,  senior  and  junior,  Jonathan  Haynes,  Henry 
Jaques,  George  March,  Stephen  Kent,  Abraham  Toppan,  junior, 
Elisha  Ilsley,  Hugh  March,  John  Bloomfield,  Samuel  Moore, 
Nathaniel  Webster,  John  Ilsley,  and  others. 

Daniel  Pierce  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  New  Jersey  of  Mr.  Ogden 
JLuke  Watson,  and  sold  it  to  Henry  Jaques. 

This  year  Thomas  Thorlay  killed  seven  wolves  in  Newbury. 


1666. 

'  March  8th.  Liberty  was  granted  to  such  as  would  build  a 
shelter  for  horses,  by  goodman  [Abraham]  Toppan's  fence,  provided 
they  do  not  make  it  above  twelve  foot  high.'  ^ 

March  13th.  The  town  ordered  that  a  small  '  house  shall  be  built 
for  shelter  of  the  herdsmen,  and  a  large  pen  for  the  cattle,  and  two 
herdsmen  shall  attend  the  cattle  all  summer  to  keep  them  from 
coming  to  the  lower  commons  [below  Artichoke  river]  and  pen 
them,  every  night.'  ^ 

April  25th.  '  Voted  that  Mr.  Parker's  eighty  pounds  by  the  yeare 
should  be  paid  him  yearly  and  Mr.  Woodbridge  to  have  sixty  pounds 
a  year  till  further  order/ ^ 

'  An  army  of  caterpillars  came  this  season,  and  a  severe  drought.' 
4  Wheat  mildewed  again.'  f  '  The  canker  worm  first  appeared  in 
New  England  this  year,' 

*  Town  records.  t  Roxbury  church  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 


1667- 


'  At  a  general  meeting  of  the  town,  March  first,  Mr. 
was  voted  (man  by  man  called  over,)  to  have  sixty  pounds  a  year 
for  preaching.'  * 

4  Winter  very  moderate,  little  snow  or  bad  weather.' 


1668. 

In  June  the  selectmen  and  other  inhabitants  of  Newbury  petitioned 
the  court  at  Salem  that  '  captain  Paul  White  be  licensed  to  sell 
wine  out  of  dores  by  retaile  for  the  necessary  relief  of  some  sick  or 
other  indigent  persons  by  whom  the  churches  exigencies  have  sundry 
times  been  supplied,  who  also  may  the  more  conveniently  accom- 
modate the  churches  occasions  from  time  to  time,  until  some  man 
be  licensed  to  keep  ordinary  here.' 

By  this  it  appears,  that,  at  this  time,  there  was  no  '  ordinary,'  or,  in 
other  words,  no  tavern  in  Newbury.  From  other  documents  in  the 
general  court  records  we  learn  that  it  was  difficult,  and  for  a  time 
impossible,  to  induce  any  person  to  open  a  public  house  for  the 
accommodation  of  travelers,  and  so  forth.  At  last  Hugh  March 
consented  to  leave  his  farm  and  commence  the  tavern  keeping  on  a 
large  scale  in  the  year  1670.  His  expenses,  as  he  himself  informs 
us,  for  fitting  up  his  house,  stables,  and  so  forth,  were  more  than 
five  hundred  pounds  — a  large  sum  for  those  days.  His  stand, 
which  was,  for  many  years,  a  noted  place,  was  near  the  head  of 
Marlborough  street,  on  the  spot  where  Messrs.  John  and  Stephen 
Ilsley  now  reside.  In  1673  he  petitioned  c  against  Paul  White's 
selling  wine,'  stating  that '  so  it  is  that  captain  White  under  colour 
of  providing  the  sacrament  wines,  doth  frequently  retaile  wines  unto 
the  inhabitants  and  others  to  the  damage  and  disabling  your  petitioner.' 

The  quantity  of  wine  used  on  sacramental  occasions  during  the 
year,  was.  as  we  shall  hereafter  see,  very  great. 

*March  '2'L  Town  voted  counting  man  by  man,  that  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge  shall  have  sixty  pounds  a  yeare  for  his  preaching.'  ^  This 
was  continued  till  May  twenty-first,  1670,  when  the  town  voted  that 
*  the  order  should  be  void.'  * 

In  this  year  the  meeting-house  was  again  '  seated,'  and  a  watch- 
house  built  on  the  east  side  of  the  upper  green. 

March.  l  The  town  ordered  that  no  horses  shall  be  tyed  within 
side  or  without  side  the  fence 'by  the  meeting-house  gate,  ( under 
penalty  ^^^^^  for  each  offence.'  ^ 

-  Tradition  informs  us  that  the  meeting-house  was  surrounded  with 
'  pales,'  through  which,  by  a  gate  or  gates,  the  meeting-house  was 
entered.  Near  these  gates  the  horses  were  tied,  and  they  would 
frequently  get  across  the  path,  often  to  the  great  inconvenience  of 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

those,  who  wished  to  go  to  '  meeting.'  This  induced  the  selectmen 
to  prohibit  all  persons  from  tying  their  horses  outside  of  the  fence. 
To  their  great  surprise,  however,  they  found  on  the  next  public 
meeting,  several  horses  '  tyed '  inside  the  fence.  This  caused  them 
to  make  the  order  above-mentioned,  forbidding  all  persons  hereafter 
to  tie  their  horses  any  where,  either  inside  the  fence  or  out.  Thus 
much  tradition,  which  derives  some  confirmation  from  the  order 
just  mentioned,  a  great  part  of  which  on  the  origininal  record,  is 
entirely  illegible.  V 

December  3d.  i  The  selectmen  granted  liberty  to  five  persons  to 
build  a  pew  for  their  wives  at  the  east  end  of  the  south  gallery  to 
the  pulpit.'  ^  This  was  probably  the  first  pew  ever  built  in  the 
'  meeting  house.' 

December  21s£.  A  road  was  laid  out '  from  Goodwin's  ferry  to 
Amesbury  mill,'  and  '  one  from  Newbury  to  Rowley  village,'  now 
Bradford. 

April.  Salisbury  new  town  was  called  Amesbury,  and  a  ferry 
established  there.f 

1669. 

The  ecclesiastical  difficulties,  with  which,  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree,  the  whole  town  had  been  agitated  for  the  last  twenty-four 
years,  had  at  this  time  arisen  to  such  a  height,  that  an  appeal  to  the 
civil  authority  was  deemed  necessary  in  order  to  adjust  their  differ- 
ences and  restore  harmony  among  them.  The  primary  cause  of 
the  disturbances,  was  a  change  of  sentiment,  which  Messrs.  Parker 
and  Noyes  manifested,  respecting  church  government  and  discipline, 
as  early  as  1645,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  former  part  of  this  book. 
In  1647  Mr.  Noyes  published  in  London  a  large  quarto  work  of 
ninety-five  pages,  entitled  the  '  Temple  measured  or  a  brief  survey 
of  the  Temple  mystical,  which  is  the  instituted  church  of  Christ.' 
Of  the  author,  the  preface,  written  by  another  hand,  thus  speaks  :  '  he 
is  altogether  free  from  a  spirit  of  faction,  seeking  only  truth  and 
satisfaction;  and  therefore  he  hath  ingeniously  laid  down  his 
judgment,  which  is  in  some  things  coincident  with  the  judgment 
of  the  reverend  presbyters  of  New  England ;  in  some  things  con- 
senting with  our  reverend  assembly  here  'in  England  and  in  some 
things  distant  from  them  both ;  being  neither  for  Aristotle,  nor  for 
Plato,  but  for  truth;  neither  for  Paul  nor  for  Apollos  but  for  Christ.' 

The  sentiments  of  Mr.  Noyes  may  be  learned  from  the  following 
extracts  from  the  work  above  mentioned. 

'  The  church  is  to  be  carried,  not  to  carry ;  to  obey,  not  to  com- 
mand; to  be  subject,  not  to  govern.'  In  another  place  he  thus 
writes :  '  if  all  members,  young  and  old,  children  and  men,  if  thou- 
sands together  must  judge  and  govern  upon  conscience  together 
with  the  presbytery,  first,  it  must  needs  interrupt  the  work.  Second, 

*  Town  records.  t  Colonial  records. 


HISTORY    OF    XEWBURY.  73 

it  is  work  enough,  a  double  labour  for  the  elders  to  instruct  the 
church  how  to  judge.  There  is  more  time  spent  in  informing  the 
church,  than  in  determining  the  case.  Must  elders  hold  the  hands 
of  the  common  members  (as  the  master  teacheth  scholars  to  write) 
and  act  only  by  them  ?  Third,  pride  is  an  epidemical  disease  in  a  dem- 
ocratical  government  Who  is  sufficient  to  hold  the  reins  of  author- 
ity ?  Where  there  are  no  standing  magistrates  in  the  commonwealth, 
and  in  the  church,  no  governors  at  all,  the  offspring  is  like  to  be 
an  Ichabod.  Fourth,  confusion  and  disorder  are  inevitable.  Turbo, 
ruunt.  The  church  ought  to  be  a  pattern  of  punctual  order.  A 
democracie  is  called  by  Plato,  nundines  populares.  Fifth,  as  a 
church  must  needs  be  too  long  a  doing  by  so  many,  when  it  is  easy, 
so  it  must  needs  be  done  too  soon  by  such  as  are  precipitant,  when 
it  is  difficult.  Some  are  conscientious  and  scrupulous,  others 
unreasonable,  ignorant,  youthful.  This  is  a  paidocracy  as  well  as  a 
democracy.  The  seat  of  government  is  the  seat  of  wisdom.' 

Similar  sentiments  were  embraced,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  by 
Messrs.  Parker  and  Woodbridge.  Of  the  former,  the  reverend 
Nicholas  Noyes,  in  his  letter  in  the  Magnalia,  expressly  says :  *  he 
no  ways  approved  of  a  governing  vote  in  the  fraternity,  but  took 
their  consent  in  a  silential  way.'  Of  his  uncle,  Mr.  James  Noyes, 
he  thus  writes :  '  they  who  differed  from  him  in  smaller  matters^as 
to  discipline,  held  a  most  amicable  correspondence  with  him,'  and  that 
during  the  time  of  his  ministry,  which  ended  by  his  death  in  1656, 
there  was  not '  any  considerable  trouble  in  the  church.'  That  occa- 
sional difficulties  had  arisen  between  the  ministers  and  the  people, 
we  have  sufficient  testimony.  Differing  as  they  did  on  the  question 
into  whose  hands  the  power  of  church  discipline  was  committed, 
occasions  of  disagreement  must  of  necessity  have  arisen,  especially 
among  a  people  so  tenacious  of  their  supposed  rights,  and  so 
exceedingly  jealous  of  every  real  or  apparent  encroachment  on 
their  power.  After  the  return  of  Mr.  John  Woodbridge  from  Eng- 
land, in  1663,  he  was  employed  by  the  town  to  assist  his  uncle 
Parker  in  preaching.  We  find  no  record  of  any  difficulty  between 
them  and  the  people,  till  November  first,  1665,  when  the  record 
informs  us,  that  thirty-five  votes  '  by  papers,'  were  cast,  of  which 
four  votes  were  for  him,  and  thirty-five  were  blanks.  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge  continued  to  preach  to  the  people,  by  an  annual  vote  of  the 
town,  with  a  salary  of  sixty  pounds  a  year,  till  November  twenty- 
first,  1670,  when  the  town  agreed  to  employ  him  no  longer.  From 
1665  to  1669,  there  is  great  reason  to  believe,  that  the  whole  church 
and  town  were  in  a  very  excited  and  unbrotherly  state,  not  from  any 
dislike  to  the  doctrine,  or  objection  'to  the  character,  of  either  Mr. 
Parker  or  Mr.  Woodbridge,  for  they  were  both  highly  esteemed, 
and  honored,  but  from  a  real  or  supposed  infringement  of  their 
rights  and  privileges  as  men  and  Christians.  The  church  was  divided 
into  two  nearly  equal  parties,  the  one  was  called  Mr.  Parker's  party, 
and  the  other,  Mr.  Woodman's  party,  so  called  from  Mr.  Edward 
Woodman,  a  man  of  talents,  influence,  firmness,  and  decision.  As 
10 


74  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

our  church  records  prior  to  1674  have  been  lost  or  destroyed,  we 
extract  the  following  detailed  account  from  the  records  of  the  quarterly 
court  at  Salem,  where  they  may  be  found  on  file. 

'  To  the  honored  court  now  sitting  at  Ipswich,  March  thirtieth,  1669.' 

'  We  whose  names  are  underwritten,  for  ourselves  and  others  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Newbury,  doe  humbly  present,  though  to  our  great  grief,  that  Mr. 
Edward  Woodman  spake  in  a  town  assembly  before  strangers  publiquely  on 
March  first,  1669,  that  Mr.  John  Woodb ridge  was  an  intruder,  brought  in  by 
craft  and  subtilty,  and  so  kept  in,  notwithstanding  he  was  voated  out  twice, 
which  we  know  to  be  untrue,  and  look  upon  as  scandalous.  Also  he  said  to  Mr. 
Parker  that  he  was  an  apostate  and  backslider  from  the  truth,  that  he  would  set 
up  a  prelacy,  and  have  more  power  than  the  pope,  for  the  pope  had  his  council 
of  cardinals,  that  his  practice  or  actings  did  not  tend  to  peace  or  salvation,  that 
he  was  the  cause  of  all  our  contention  and  misery.  That  you  are  an  apostate 
and  backslider.' 

i  Also  he  said  to  captain  Gerrish  that  he  was  no  lover  of  the  truth,  that  his 
gray  hairs  would  stand  where  captain  Gerrish  his  bald  pate  would,  all  which  we 
humbly  conceive  tends  not  only  to  the  reproach  of  the  parties  concerned,  but 
to  the  great  disturbance  of  our  peace  both  civil  and  ecclesiastical,  and  therefore 
leave  it  to  the  serious  consideration  of  this  honored  court  for  some  suitable 
redress  as  they  shall  think  meet. 

RICHARD  KENT. 
Witnesses.  HENRY   SHORT. 

NICHOLAS  NOTES.  ANTHONT  SOMERBY. 

Ensign  JOHN  KNIGHT. 

TRISTRAM  COFFIN. 

THOMAS  HALE,  senior. 

JOSEPH  MUZZET. 

NATHANIEL  CLARKE.' 

The  following  depositions  were  also  taken  and  put  on  file  : 

(  The  deposition  of  James  Ordway,  Abraham  Merrill,  and  John  Bayley.' 
'  These  deponents  say  that  when  Mr.  Woodman  saith  that  Mr.  Parker  was 
the  occasion  of  these  contentions  by  his  apostacy  and  declension  (he  added) 
from  the  principles  that  you  have  preached  and  practised,  and  also  proved  by 
the  word  of  God,  that  men's  consciences  were  engaged  in  it  that  they  cannot 
depart  from  it  unto  this  day.' 

1  Sworn  in  court,  the  thirtieth  of  March,  1669.' 

1  Richard  Bartlet,  James  Ordway,  and  John  Emery.' 

'  We  testify  that  Mr.  Parker  in  a  public  meeting  said  that  for  the  time  to  come 
I  am  resolved  nothing  shall  be  brought  into  the  church,  but  it  shall  be  brought 
first  to  me,  and  if  I  approve  of  it,  it  shall  be  brought  in,  if  I  do  not  approve 
it,  it  shall  not  be  brought  in.' 

Sworn  as  above. 

'  The  depositions  of  John  Emery,  senior,  John  Emery,  junior,  Abraham 
Merrill,  and  John  Bayley.' 

1  These  deponents  say  that  as  Mr.  Woodman  was  speaking  in  the  meeting, 
March  first,  1669,  captain  Gerrish  stood  up  and  interrupted  him,  mentioning 
his  gray  hairs.  Mr.  Woodman  said,  captain  Gerrish,  my  gray  hairs  will  stand 
in  any  place  where  your  bald  head  will  stand.' 

Sworn  as  above. 

'  The  deposition  of  William  Titcomb,  John  Emery,  Robert  Coker  and  Thomas 
Browne.' 

1  These  deponents  say  that  upon  the  Lord's  day,  the  twenty-first  of  March, 
1669,  after  the  exercise  was  ended,  Mr.  Parker  put  this  to  the  members. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  75 

That  those  that  are  for  the  discontinuance  of  my  cousin  Woodbridsre  in  the  wav 
of  preaching,  as  formerly  he  hath  done  until  farther  order  be  taken,  let  them 
speak. 

•  Afterwards  Mr.  Parker  expressed  thus,  those  that  are  for  the  continuance  of 
my  cousin  Woodbridge  in  the  way  of  preaching  as  formerly  he  hath  done  let 
them  express  themselves  by  their' silence.' 

Sworn,  and  so  forth. 

See  also  the  testimony  of  Pike,  Brown,  Emery,  and  others,  in  the 
first  part  of  this  book,  pages  sixteen  and  seventeen. 

To  the  complaint  made  against  him  to  the  court  at  Ipswich,  Mr. 
Woodman  replied.  This  occasioned  the  following  answer  from  Mr. 
Parker's  friends. 

1  Whereas  Mr.  Edward  Woodman  in  his  plea  or  answer  to  the  charges 
exhibited  against  him  hath  laboured  to  prove  Mr.  Woodbridge  to  be  voted  from 
preaching  by  a  town  record  dated  March  first,  1665,  the  honoured  court  may 
please  to  consider,  first,  it  doth  not  appear  that  any  notice  was  given  to  the 
inhabitants  of  that  particular  respecting  Mr.  Woodbridge's  preaching  and  so  the 
vote,  if  unanimous,  had  been  invalid. 

'  Second,  the  vote  as  they  call  it  consists  of  two  parts.  First,  whether  Mr. 
Woodbridge  should  be  chosen  to  preach  to  the  town  for  one  year.  Second, 
whether  he  should  be  chosen  by  papers.  In  which  it  may  be  observed  that  the 
vote  was  not  understood  for  near  half  of  the  company  stood  off  from  both  as  not 
willing  to  have  it  questioned  about  silencing  or  calling  Mr.  Woodbridge  from 
preaching,  namely  to  the  number  of  thirty-one  persons,  and  of  them  that  did  vote 
by  papers  the  record  saith,  and  Mr.  Woodbridge  acknowledgeth,  that  four  of  them 
were  for  Mr.  Woodbridge's  preaching,  which,  if  it  be  taken  for  a  legal  vote,  the 
vote  was  for  Mr.  Woodbridge:s  preaching.  These  things  considered  we  humbly 
conceive  there  will  be  no  footing  found  for  what  Mr.  Woodman  and  others  labour 
to  cloud  the  matter  withal.3 

After  hearing  the  evidence  on  both  sides,  the  court  pronounced 
the  following  sentence : 

{ March  30th,  1669.  Having  heard  the  complaint  presented  to  this  court 
against  Mr.  Edward  Woodman  we  do  judge  some  passages  relating  to  Mr. 
Parker  and  Mr.  Woodman  to  be  false  and  scandalous,  and  that  concerning 
captain  Gerrish  reproachful  and  provoking,  and  the  whole  greatly  offensive,  and 
have  therefore  ordered  that  the  said  Mr.  Woodman  shall  be  seriously  and 
solemnly  admonished  and  enjoined  to  make  a  publique  confession  at  the  next 
publique  town  and  church  meeting  at  Newbury  of  his  sinful  expressions  and 
just  offence  that  he  hath  given,  or  else  to  pay  five  pounds  costs  and  fees. 

'  I  dissent  from  this  sentence,  Samuel  Symonds. 
( And  I  dissent,  William  Hathorne. 

Mr.  Woodman  appealed  from  this  judgment,  to  the  next  court  of 
assizes  at  Boston. 

From  this  it  appears  that  the  court  were  not  unanimous  in  their 
sentence  against  Mr.  Woodman.  This  is  farther  evident  from  the 
following  communication. 

1  This  court  having  heard  the  complaint  made  unto  us  by  certayne  members 
of  the  church  of  Newbury  against  Mr.  Edward  Woodman  (a  member  of  the 
same  church)  of  several  offensive  words  spoken  by  the  said  Woodman  in  a 
town  meeting  against  the  reverend  Mr.  Parker  then  pastor,  and  Mr.  Woodbridge, 


76  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

who  hath  for  divers  years  exercised  his  gifts  amongst  thom;  and  having 
heard  the  answer  of  the  said  Woodman  unto  the  particulars  expressed  in  the 
complaint  and  weighing  the  testimonies  on  both  sides  sworn  in  the  case,  wTe 
apprehend  and  judge  as  followeth  namely.  That  several  words  and  passages 
in  the  writing  or  complaint  presented  to  the  court  and  owned  by  himself  or 
proved  by  others,  especially  taken  merely  in  themselves  without  his  answer  and 
the  testimony  of  others  then  present,  are  highly  offensive  and  scandalous.  But 
considering  his  answers  and  the  testimony  together  with  the  same,  wTe  find  the 
matter  to  be  much  altered  from  what  the  naked  words  as  they  are  expressed  in 
the  writing  do  hold  forth.  We  perceive  that  a  great  part  (if  not  a  greater  part) 
of  that  church  doe  stand  for  the  congregational  way  of  church  government  and 
discipline  to  be  exercised  amongst  them  (which  is  the  way  the  churches  here 
doe  professe  to  the  wrhole  world  to  be  the  way  and  only  way  according  to 
the  gospel  of  Christ,)  and  that  it  is  and  hath  been  for  a  long  time  a  very  great 
burthen  and  grievance  to  them,  that  they  have  not  freedom  in  that  respect, 
(where  there  is  occasion  of  actings)  as  by  the  word  of  God  they  ought  to  have, 
and  other  churches  have  in  this  country,  and  at  the  beginning  their  own  church 
also  quietly  did  enjoy  for  some  space  of  time,  and  that  the  alteration  hath 
occasioned  much  differences  and  unquietudes  amongst  them.  The  whole  case 
thus  considered  and  \veighed  together  the  court  doth  desire  and  require  that  all 
persons  concerned  on  both  sides,  for  the  future  doe  their  utmost  endeavour  to 
settle  truth  and  peace  amongst  them  and  freely  to  blame  themselves  at  a  con- 
venient church  meeting  for  their  errors  and  miscarriages  and  actings  or 
unbecoming  words  in  their  publique  agitations,  and  that  Mr.  Woodman  in 
particular  should  soe  doe.' 

•  This  was  presented  to  this  court  as  a  suitable  determination  of  the  whole 
case,  heard  in  open  court  holden  at  Ipswich  March  thirtieth,  1669,  to  which  we 
subscribe 

SAMUEL  SYMONDS, 
WILLIAM  HATHORNE.' 

This  'determination  of  the  whole  case/  by  Messrs.  Symonds 
and  Hathorne,  did  not,  as  will  be  readily  supposed,  give  satisfaction 
to  either  party,  especially  to  the  friends  of  Mr.  Parker.  On  the 
contrary,  those  who  had  complained  to  the  court,  against  Mr. 
Woodman,  soon  after  sent  in  the  following  paper. 

{To  the  honored  court  now  sitting  at  Ipswich  this  twenty-eighth  of 
April  1669. 

'  Whereas  upon  searching  the  court  records  we  find  a  paper  in  the  court 
beginning  [this  court  having  heard  the  complaynt  and  so  forth]  subscribed 
Samuel  Symonds,  William  Hathorne,  wherein  are  several  things  charged,  as 
we  apprehend  illegally,  on  sundry  among  us,  to  our  just  grief,  we  desire  the 
favour  of  the  court  to  accept  this  our  paper,  as  a  short  vindication  of  ourselves, 
till  the  opportunity  shall  be  offered  for  our  farther  clearing. 

t  First,  we  look  not  on  the  paper  as  the  determination  or  sentence  of  the 
court,  which,  had  it  been,  we  durst  not  in  any  measure  have  replyed,  or  contra- 
dicted. 

1  Second,  nor  did  we  think  it  any  legal  evidence  towards  the  issue  of  the 
case,  in  which  Mr.  Woodman  was  presented  for  his  miscarriage. 

'Third,  nor  can  we  think  it  any  legal  charge  to  answer  whereunto  any 
persons  were  summoned,  or  made  any  answer  to ;  or  if  it  were  a  censure  wre 
know  not  that  ever  it  was  first  examined,  and  indeed  wre  know  not  what  to 
make  of  it,  but  think  it  very  hard  to  be  in  such  a  matter  taxed  before  we  were 
examined. 

'  Whether  the  said  gentlemen  wrere  the  authors  of  it  or  no  we  cannot  tell, 
neither  dare  we  affirm,  yet  finding  such  a  paper  wherein  there  is  so  great 
reproof  by  false  accusation  insinuated  against  divers  amongst  us,  we  intreat  the 
court  to  accept  our  complaint,  that  we  suppose  ourselves  illegally  dealt  with, 


HISTORY    OF    NKWBURY.  77 

seeing  that  our  law  assures  us  of  this  liberty  among  other,  that  no  man's  name 
shall  be  blasted,  but  by  virtue  or  equity  of  some  law  established  among  us. 

•  We  acknowledge  that  no  man  is  mentioned  by  name  :  yet  when  any  man 
is  so  decyphered,  that  any  man.  who  reads  it,  may  easily  ghesse  [guess]  who  is 
intended  there  is  lawful  cognisance  in  law  of  such  infamyes.  unless  the  person 
shall  publickly  disown  it;  else  how  shall  men  be  righted  against  infamous 
libels  t 

'  These  things  being  premised  we  desire  the  liberty  of  freemen  to  put  in  our 
plea  against  such  a  paper  of  accusation  as  we  find,  with  all  due  submission  to 
the  court. 

•  First,  we  judge  our  case  exceedingly  prejudiced,  that  it  is  insinuated  in 
the  preamble,  that  the  complaynt  is  betwixt  some  members  of  the  church,  as 
if  the  cause  were  merely  ecclesiastical.     We  grant  the  persons  interested  on 
both  sides  to  be  such,  yet  the  cause  presented  is  civil  and  criminal,  not  arising 
from  some  difference  of  opinion  about  discipline,  but  a  publick  breach  of  the 
peace  against  the  plain  words,  as  well  as  the  intention,  of  the  laws,  which 
breach  of  the  peace  and  violation  of  the  law,  as  freemen  of  this  jurisdiction  we 
present  to  the  cognizance  of  authority,  desiring  the  redress  of  so  great  an  evil, 
which  authority  in  other  like  cases  hath  taken  notice  of  with  just  indignation. 

'  Second,  we  humbly  conceive,  that  if  the  words  taken  in  themselves  are 
highly  offensive  and  scandalous  the  defendants'  answer  hath  not  made  them  to 
be  good,  though  he  may  pretend  they  may  arise  from  difference  of  opinion, 
for  as  we  must  not  lie.  neither  must  we  slander,  for  God  and  his  cause.  His 
putting  of  a  fayr  glosse  will  never  make  good  by  words,  [that]  which  is  evil 
by  deeds,  no  more  than  a  quaker  pretending  conscience  for  reviling. 

{  Third,  we  humbly  present  this  to  consideration  that  whereas  the  presenters 
of  the  said  Mr.  Woodman  did  out  of  duty  to  God,  his  ministers  and  the  law, 
bring  the  case  to  the  trial  of  justice,  that  for  the  time  to  come  such  irregulari- 
ties, which  tended  to  mutiny,  and  tumult  might  be  prevented.  We  humbly 
conceive  the  sentence  of  the  said  paper  is  such  as  that  it  takes  off  the  blame 
from  the  person  presented,  is  a  fact  evident  enough,  else  we  know  not  the 
meaning  of  those  words.  '  we  find  the  matter  much  altered,'  and  loads  the 
plaintiffs  and  others  of  the  church,  ministers,  and  people  with  far  greater  crimes 
than  either  Mr.  Woodbridge  hath  done  or  ever  justly  could  doe.  yet  can  we 
not  find  in  any  of  the  testimonies  any  one  that  proves  in  matter  of  fact  any  of 
the  conclusions,  on  which  such  a  censure  should  be  grounded.  Somewhat  it 
may  be  there  fell  from  Mr.  Woodman  in  his  speech,  which  among  other  false- 
hoods by  him  charged  on  us,  might  give  a  hint  of  such  a  thing,  yet  we  suppose 
such  a  speech  is  far  too  weak  to  infer  such  conclusions,  as  the  paper  seems  to 
brand  us  with.  Such  as  these. 

•  First,  it  intimates  that  though  a  great  or  greater  part  of  the  church  stand 
for  the  congregational  way  of  church  government  and  discipline,  yet  according 
as  other  churches  doe  enjoy  it,  as  the  way  of  God,  they  cannot,  which  in  point 
of  fact  is  utterly  denied. 

1  Second,  that  they  have  not  their  freedom  to  vote,  or  act,  according  to  the 
word  of  God.  or  according  as  other  churches,  or  as  themselves  heretofore  had, 
which,  if  it  were  true,  as  the  paper  seems  to  accept  it  for  a  truth,  were  such  a 
scandal,  as  justly  deserved  reproof  and  censure,  for  that  they  who  do  it  would 
be  accounted  sacrilegious  robbers  of  the  churches,  yet  we  assure  ourselves  that 
none  of  the  opposites  dare  affirm  it.  it  being  so  notoriously  and  evidently  false. 
Let  any  act  within  twenty  years  or  upwards  be  produced  of  this  nature,  that 
hath  been  carried  on  without  the  churches'  consent  or  the  major  part  thereof. 
We  can  evidence  that  Mr.  Parker  hath  been  blamed  for  bringing  things  of  too 
meane  a  nature  to  the  churches  examination,  and  strangers  have  taken  notice  of 
the  over  much  liberty  of  some  in  church  actings. 

t  Third,  we  hope  we  have  not  deserved  to  be  noted  as  a  singular  people 
contrary  to  the  professed  persuasion  and  practice  of  all  the  churches  which  we 
know  not  what  the  intimation  of  such  a  charge  should  aim  at.  but  to  raise  an 
odium  on  us  in  the  country  when  we  are  innocent  of  any  such  thing. 

'  Fourth,  then  the  alteration  hath  caused  much  difference  and  unquietness 
among  those,  which  by  the  intimation  lights  on  the  plaintiffs,  or  ministers,  who 


78  HISTORY    OF    NEWRURY. 

have  made  the  alteration,  which  is  as  false  as  the  rest,  yet  the  difference  in 
this  case  to  be  considered  arises  only  from  the  manner  of  testifying  the  assent 
or  dissent  of  the  church,  not  from,  any  substantial  disagreement.  Near  thirty 
years  since  at  a  synod  at  Cambridge  it  was  proposed,  and  it  was  consented 
unto  by  them,  that  if  the  ministers  thought  it  most  convenient  to  vote  by  speech 
and  silence,  rather  than  by  lifting  up  the  hand,  they  had  nothing  against  it, 
seeing  the  one  was  a  testimony  of  consent  as  well  as  the  other,  so  this  kind  of 
voting  began  and  continued  in  practice  without  difference  or  interruption  for  a 
good  season.  Afterwards  when  some  difference  arose  at  Newbury  that  there 
wras  need  of  a  council,  this  among  other  things  was  pat  in,  and  in  fine  it  was 
concluded  and  consented  to  by  the  people  that  things  should  be  carried  on  in 
this  manner  without  disturbance.  A  third  time  near  six  years  since  there  being 
occasion  of  a  council  at  Newbury  (in  all  which  transactions  Mr.  Woodman  was 
the  chief  instrument  to  oppose  the  minister)  this  among  other  differences  came 
into  discourse.  The  same  conclusion  was  as  before  that  things  should  be  car- 
ried on  in  this  way  with  love  and  peace,  yet  several  times  since  and  more 
strongly  now  at  last,  Mr.  Woodman  by  violence  of  opposition  hath  made  open 
protestation  and  resistance  against  it ;  and  no  disturbance  or  alteration  hath 
been  made  but  by  them  against  a  thing  so  long  used  and  approved,  and  so  we 
leave  it  to  any  impartial  judgment  to  determine  who  is  the  cause  of  that  altera- 
tion, which  hath  occasioned  so  much  difference  and  unquietness,  which  though 
it  be  imputed  to  the  plaintiffs,  yet  we  suppose  it  rather  to  be  to  the  unquiet  and 
turbulent  spirits  of  the  opposites,  and  let  any  man  judge  whether  this  course 
only  (for  there  is  no  other)  be  a  sufficient  cause  of  complaining  of  so  great  a 
burthen. 

WILLIAM  GERRISH.       RICHARD  KENT. 

RICHARD  DOLE.  HENRY   SHORT. 

TRISTRAM  COFFIN.        ANTHONY   SOMERBY.' 

From  subsequent  events  it  is  evident,  that  the  action  of  the  court 
on  the  complaint  exhibited  against  Mr.  Woodman  by  the  friends  of 
Mr.  Parker,  was  not  attended  by  any  beneficial  results.  This,  without 
doubt,  was  partly  owing  to  the  fact,  that  the  magistrates  who  had 
cognizance  of  the  case  were  divided  in  opinion.  So  far  from  resting 
satisfied  with  the  decision,  or  decisions,  of  the  court,  as  the  case 
might  be,  each  party  returned  home,  confident  of  the  rectitude  and 
justice  of  their  cause,  and  determined  not  to  submit  to  the  other. 
Each  party  claimed  to  be  the  church,  as  each  claimed  to  have  a 
majority  of  the  members. 

'  So  sit  two  kings  of  Brentford  on  one  throne, 
United;  yet  divided,  twain  in  one.' 

On  the  third  of  November,  a  council  was  called,  who  thus  report : 

1  November  5th,  1669.  We,  the  elders  and  messengers  of  our  respective 
churches,  (who  in  answer  to  your  desires  expressed  in  your  letter  to  them  have 
sent  us  hither  where  accordingly  we  have  convened,)  in  the  deep  sense  of  your 
soul  afflicted  state,  the  difficulty  and  intricacy  of  the  matters  before  us  our 
own  insufficiency  to  reach  the  narrows  comprehended  in  your  questions  and 
case,  as  it  is  circumstanced  in  the  momentousness  both  of  the  nature  of  your 
proposals  and  the  issues  of  our  answers  in  way  of  advice  and  determination 
therein,  have  earnestly  sought  the  face  of  the  great  Counsellor  of  his  people, 
and  implored  the  mercy  of  the  hearer  of  prayers  in  these  so  weighty  concerns 
to  his  name,  the  order  of  his  house,  the  peace  and  welfare  both  of  this  and  of 
the  rest  of  your  churches.  And  in  the  awful  apprehension  of  the  all-seeing  eye 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  79 

upon  us,  as  in  all  our  transactions  about  the  case  presented  to  us,  and  of  the 
solemn  account,  which  we  must  one  day  give  thereof  to  the  highest  Lord  and 
Judge  of  quick  and  dead,  after  solemn  and  serious  considerations  had,  and 
disquisitions  and  searches  made,  of  and  into  the  particulars  presented  to  us,  we 
have  been  moved,  and.  as  we  trust  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  accord  and  issue  in 
this  as  the  joint  result  of  our  minds,  judgments  and  hearts  therein  as  followeth, 
namely  : 

'  First,  that  the  particulars  respecting  their  dissenting  brethren,  declared  to 
us  by  the  pastor  of  this  church  of  Newberry  and  the  brethren  with  him  as 
grievances  to  them  being  proved  before  us  as  true,  we  judge  they  were  matters 
of  just  offence  to  them,  as  being  publique  and  deviations  from  the  rules  of  the 
gospel  order,  presented  in  the  holy  scriptures,  and  the  answerable  principles  of 
the  churches  here  established  and  declared  in  the  platform  of  discipline  approved 
for  the  substance  by  our  general  court  to  be  and  accordingly  practised  by  the 
congregational  churches  amongst  us,  namely,  that  in  an  organic  church  where 
the  pastor  stands  in  a  state  of  right  administration,  any  brother  or  brethren  less 
or  more  in  number  should  openly  and  frequently  refuse  to  observe  their  pastor's 
counsels  or  charges,  to  attend  order  of  speech  or  silence  and  peaceably  demean- 
ing themselves  in  any  church  assemblies  and  matters  there  acted,  or  that  they 
should  check,  curb,  oppose,  contradict  or  molest  him  in  the  discharge  of  his 
pastoral  office,  work  or  duty  or  secondly,  that  Mr.  Woodman  with  a  great  part 
of  the  members  of  the  church  instead  of  giving  due  satisfaction,  oft  times  called 
for  from  him  and  sundry  of  them  unto  their  pastor,  and  the  brethren  adhering 
to  him,  should  publiquely  without,  yea  against,  the  consent  and  prohibition  of 
their  pastor,  meet  in  a  church  assembly,  act  as  a  church  by  themselves,  voting 
these  or  those  church  orders  of  theirs,  send  messengers  to  call  any  other  member 
before  them  to  give  satisfaction  to  the  church  for  matters  offensive  to  them,  as  if 
they  were  the  church,  which  besides  that  it  is  cross  to  religion  and  reason  that 
in  an  organic  body,  which  is  but  one  entire  ecclesiastical  whole,  consisting  of 
the  officer  and  all  the  rest  of  the  members  of  that  church,  that  there  should  be 
any  regular  orderly  church,  consisting  of  the  major  part  of  the  brethren,  severed 
from  others  of  their  brethren,  yea  of  their  pastor,  or  persons  without,  and  not 
within  the  church,  and  such  a  company  so  acting  as  a  church  being  no  regular 
church,  all  their  actings  as  a  church  are  to  be  accounted  irregular.  We  judge 
that  such  practices  are  breaches  of  church  order,  unity  and  peace,  reproachful 
to  the  way  of  our  churches  here,  highly  dishonorable  to  Christ  and'  the  gospel, 
and  tend  to  confusion,  undermining  and  destruction  of  gospel  order  and  peace 
in  congregational  churches  amongst  us,  and  that  all  these  former  irregulars 
done  by  them  as  church  acts  are  null,  and  it  will  be  more  offensive  in  the 
dissenting  brethren  to  act  in  any  such  way  for  time  to  come. 

1  Secondly,  that  yet  considering  the  time  as  an  hour  of  churches'  temptation, 
the  envy  and  subtlety  of  the  common  enemy  of  the  churches,  and  his  too  much 
influence  upon  the  spirits  even  of  godly  minded  ones  also,  together  with  the 
remnants  of  the  powers  and  deceits  of  the  old  man  in  the  best,  and  considering 
how  most  desirable,  amiable,  and  every  way  most  profitable  it  is  for  brethren  to 
dwell  together  in  unity,  and  most  dearly  to  love  and  tender  one  another  in  the 
Lord,  and  therefore  to' study  to  be  quiet,  to  follow  after  things,  wrhich  make  for 
peace  and  wherewith  they  may  edify  one  another,  we  advise  Mr.  Parker  and 
the  brethren  with  him  to  use  all  gaining  and  winning  means,  that  may  be,  that 
they  with  their  dissenting  brethren  may  become  one  in  the  Lord  as  in  former 
times,  meekly  yet  convincingly  by  arguments  from  scripture  and  reasons 
grounded  thereupon,  (whether  spoken  to  them,  if  opportunity  of  peaceably  doing 
thereof,  or  else  by  wrriting  to  them)  to  convince  them  of  their  irregularities  and 
duly  to  acknowledge  the  same,  improving  also  any  other  helps  for  that  end  and 
patiently  waiting  for  a  good  issue  of  all  means  used  and  forbearing  them  in  love 
meanwhile. 

1  Finally  in  hope  and  expectation  of  an  amicable  compliance  we  have  suspended 
any  further  counsel,  which,  if  necessitated  thereto,  we  shall  advise  as  God 
shall  guide  according  to  the  rules  of  the  gospel.  And  now  reverend  and  dear 
brethren,  we  commend  you  to  God  and  the  word  of  his  grace,  which  is  able  to 
build  you  up  and  give  you  an  inheritance  among  them,  which  are  sanctified. 


80  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

And  the  Lord  of  peace  himself  give  you  peace  always  by  all   means.     The 
Lord  be  with  you  all. 

THOMAS  COBBET, 

In  the  name,  and  with  the  consent,  of  the 
November  fifth,  1669.  rest  of  the  members  of  the  council.' 

The  above  advice,  so  laboriously  written,  does  not,  as  might  be 
supposed,  appear  to  have  done  any  good,  or  to  have  '  reached  the 
narrows  comprehended  in  the  questions.'  On  the  contrary  the  year 
ended,  leaving  both  parties  less  willing  '  to  love  and  tender  one 
another,'  than  they  were  at  its  commencement.  So  completely  were 
not  only  the  church,  but  the  people  absorbed  in  this  subject,  and  so 
important  was  the  issue  of  the  contest  deemed  in  point  of  principle, 
that  it  affected  all  other  matters.  Even  the  military  company  was 
in  such  a  state  as  to  require  attention  from  the  general  court.  From 
their  records  is  copied  the  following  : 

c  May  19th.  In  consideration  of  the  distractions  of  the  military  company  in 
Newbury,  for  the  better  composure  and  prevention  of  the  increase  thereof, 
major  general  Leverett.  and  major  Dennison  are  impowered  to  inquire  into  the 
grounds  thereof  on  the  spot;  and  settle  it  if  possible.' 

As  a  curious  illustration  of  the  predominant  influence,  which,  at 
this  time,  and  for  many  years  before  and  after,  ecclesiastical  matters 
in  Massachusetts  had  in  almost  all  transactions,  the  following  letter 
from  the  general  court  files  is  copied.  The  signers,  it  will  be  recol- 
lected, were  the  two  ministers  of  Rowley. 

1  ROWLEY,  July  24th,  1689. 
1  May  it  please  your  honors, 

The  occasion  of  these  lines  is  to  inform  you  that 

whereas  our  military  company  have  nominated  Abel  Platts  for  ensign,  we  con- 
ceive that  it  is  our  duty  to  declare  that  we  cannot  approve  of  their  choice  in  that 
he  is  corrupt  in  his  judgment  with  reference  to  the  Lord's  supper,  declaring 
against  Christ's  words  of  justification,  and  hereupon  hath  withdrawn  himself 
from  communion  with  the  church  in  that  holy  ordinance  some  years,  besides 
some  other  things  wherein  he  hath  shown  no  little  vanity  in  his  conversation  and 
hath  demeaned  himself  unbecomingly  towards  the  word  and  towards  the  dis- 
pensers of  it. 

1  Having  given  you  this  intimation,  we  leave  the  matter  with  your  honors  to  do 
as  you  see  meet.  Thus  presenting  our  service  to  you  and  begging  God's  pres- 
ence with  you,  rest  your  honors'  servants  for  Jesus'  sake. 

SAMUEL  PHILLIPS. 
EDWARD  PA  is  ON.' 

In  the  midst  of  these  difficulties,  ecclesiastical,  military,  and  so 
forth,  Mr.  Parker  continued  his  labors,  and  the  people  of  both  par- 
ties regularly  '  went  to  meeting.'  On  the  twenty-fifth  of  February, 
the  selectmen,  in  consequence  of  'complaints  of  considerable 
persons  for  want  of  seats  in  the  meeting  house,'  ordered  three  new 
seats  to  be  built,  and  fifty  or  sixty  persons  placed  in  them  by  the 
selectmen,  on  certain  conditions.  For  instance : 

'  In  the  second  seat  of  the  men's  side  below  in  the  meeting  house 
is  placed  Daniel  Lunt,  James  Smith  and  Joseph  Coker,  and  if 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  81 

Thomas  Hale  junior,  refuse  to  pay  his  share  to  the  new  gallery  seat 
as  others  do,  then  James  Smith  is  placed  in  the  new  gallery  seat; 
provided  he  pay  his  share,  and  Thomas  Hale  is  to  return  to  his  own 
place  again.  And  if  Stephen  Greenleaf  refuse  also  to  pay  his 
share  accordingly,  then  he  is  to  return  to  his  own  place  againe,'  and 
so  forth,  and  so  forth.  =* 

From  the  Salem  court  record  it  appears,  that  some  of  the  people 
were  not  satisfied  with  the  seats  assigned  to  them  by  the  selectmen, 
but  took  the  liberty  of  choosing  for  themselves.  Of  two  of  them, 
the  court  records  thus  speak :  l  John  Woolcot  and  Peter  Toppan  for 
disorderly  going  and  setting  on  a  seat  belonging  to  others  are 
fined  twenty-seven  pounds  and  four  shillings.' 

On  the  seventeenth  of  November,  there  was  a  'thanksgiving  for 
relief  from  drought  and  lengthening  out  the  harvest.'  f 


1670. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  year,  John  Webster  was  presented  to  the 
court,  <  for  reading  a  paper  libel  against  Thomas  Parker  on  a  Lord's 
day  in  February,  a  scandalous  and  reproachful  libel/  The  follow- 
ing is  a  copy  of  the  '  paper  libel.'  It  is  entitled,  '  the  answer  of  Mr. 
Woodman  and  the  brethren  adhering  to  him  and  so  forth.' 

1  Whereas  Mr.  Parker  and  the  brethren  adhering  to  him,  as  he  saith,  have 
lately  read,  or  caused  to  be  read,  in  the  public  congregation  before  the  church 
and  towne  a  writing  wherein  is  contained  divers  charges  (some  implicit  and 
some  explicit)  upon  the  brethren,  which  they  say  are  opposed  unto  them,  and 
that  they  say  are  justly  offended  with  them  for  sundry  scandalous  practices  by 
them  committed;  who  by  their  disorderly  carriage  have  demeaned  themselves 
unsuitable  to  the  order  of  the  gospel,  and  irreverently  towards  their  pastor  in 
that  they  have  not  attended  his  counsel  and  declaration  of  the  will  of  Christ,  to 
the  frequent  breach  of  order  in  public  meetings  and  for  acting  as  a  divided 
body  from  thw'r  pastor  and  the  rest  of  the  brethren,  voting  their  acts  as  church 
acts,  and  publishing  them  with  other  particulars  presented  to  the  council  lately 
assembled,  who  determined,  and  we  with  them  do  judge,  that  such  practices 
are  breaches  of  church  order,  peace  and  unity,  also  you  seein  to  lay  the  major 
part  of  the  church  under  a  censure  and  to  deny  any  further  treating  with  them 
until  they  have  reconciled  themselves  to  their  offended  brethren  by  confessing 
such  faults  as  you  have  charged  upon  them.  To  these  things  thus  charged 
upon  us,  the  major  part  of  the  brethren  adhering  to  Jesus  Christ  and  his  word 
do  answer,  that  we  do  not  judge  ourselves  guilty  of  those  sins  as  you  have 
publiquely  charged  upon  us.  having  duly  examined  our  consciences  and  actions 
by  the  word  of  God,  and  therefore  cannot  approve  of  your  proceedings  therein, 
but  do  conceive  that  you  have  proceeded  therein  beside  the  rule  that  Christ 
hath  given  his  church  to  walk  by.  and  have  exercised  lordship  over  God's  heri- 
tage by  charging  the  major  part  of  the  brethren  of  the  church,  as  we  conceive 
unjustly,  with  many  sins,  which  you  do  not  so  much  as  name,  nor  specify  in 
any  such  way  as  whereby  we  may  know  what  they  are,  much  less  to  be  con- 
victed that  we  are  guilty  of  such  sins,  but  under  general  heads  of  sins,  as  that 
we  know  not  what  they  are  for  the  general  of  them,  nor  who  are  actually  guilty 
of  them,  if  any  such  should  be  committed  by  any  of  the  brethren.  Therefore 
it  cannot  tend  to  conviction  or  reformation  of  sin,  but  rather  as  we  conceive  it 

*  Town  records.  t  Colonial  records. 

11 


82  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

must  proceed  from  some  distemper  of  spirits,  and  so  to  be  accounted  to  cast  an 
odium  upon  us  and  upon  the  cause  we  maintain.  We  therefore  conceive  that 
that  writing  is  not  regular,  nor  that  which  will  stand  with  the  rule  of  the  gospel, 
to  proclaim  before  the  church  and  the  town  that  we  are  sinners  and  that  you  are 
justly  offended  with  us  before  you  have  used  any  due  or  regular  means  to  con- 
vict us,  or  made  any  due  proof  against  us  that  we  are  such  as  you  have  pro- 
claimed us  to  be,  therefore  we  take  it  to  be  a  sentence  before  judgment,  the 
coarsest  proceeding  among  men.  We  do  therefore  hereby  testify  that  we  are 
justly  offended  with  your  irregular  proceeding  in  casting  such  public  scandals 
upon  us  without  due  cause  and  besides  due  order,  and  we  cannot  satisfy  our 
consciences,  otherwise  than  to  declare  our  dissatisfaction  with  your  proceedings 
and  shall  take  into  due  consideration  what  God  doth  farther  call  for  at  our 
hands  to  bear  farther  witness  against  such  doings  and  for  the  reformation  thereof. 

'Also  we  do  bear  witness  against  your  two  sermons  out  of  Matthew^  18  :  17 
the  one  presented  January  thirtieth,  and  the  other  February  second.  We  con- 
ceive you  have  not  followed  the  mind  of  Christ  in  several  things  contained  in 
the  same  sermons,  but  contrary  thereunto,  and  contrary  to  the  order  of  the 
churches  established  by  the  general  court,  contrary  to  the  synod  booke,  contrary 
to  the  practice  of  all  the  churches  in  this  jurisdiction,  tending  to  the  breach  of 
peace  civill  and  ecclesiastical,  and  has  its  tendency  to  the  undermining  and 
destroying  of  all  church  order  allowed  in  this  jurisdiction. 

1  This  we  read  as  a  complaint  to  the  church.' 

The  court  records  proceed  to  state,  that '  John  Webster  is  charged 
with  publishing  the  contents  of  this  paper  annexed  in  the  open 
congregation  at  Newbury  on  the  Sabbath  day  after  meeting  without 
leave  obtained  from  the  elder  which  was  done  at  or  about  the 
thirteenth  of  February,  1670.  Question.  Guilty  or  not  guilty?' 
To  which  the  jury  reply,  <  we  find  according  to  evidence  given  that 
John  Webster  read  the  contents  of  this  paper  annexed  in  Newbury 
meeting  house.' 

The  next  account  I  find  of  the  proceedings  of  the  brethren,  is  the 
following  from  the  quarterly  court  files  in  Salem.  It  will  be  recol- 
lected that  each  party  claimed  to  be  the  church,  and  to  have  a 
majority  of  the  members.  It  is  a  copy  of  a  paper  sent  to  Mr. 
Parker  by  Mr.  Woodman  and  his  party.  It  is  as  follows : 

c  The  church  having  seriously  considered  of  the  complaint  brought  io  us  by 
Mr.  Woodman  against  our  reverend  pastor,  master  Parker  and  do  jiulut-  ii 
clearly  proved  by  sufficient  evidences,  and  much  of  it  known  to  our  selves  t,, 
be  true,  do  judge  that  you  have  been  instrumental  of  the  divisions  and  troubles, 
that  have  a  long  time  [beenj  and  still  are,  continued  in  this  church,  partly  by 
your  change  of  opinion  and  practice  and  several  times  breaking  promises 'and 
covenants  or  agreements  with  the  church,  and  other  things  contained  in  the 
complaint,  therefore  we  cannot  but  judge  you  worthy  of  blame,  and  do  hereby 
blame  you,  and  for  the  restoring  of  peace  to  the  church  we  are  enforced,  though 
with  great  grief  of  heart,  to  suspend  you  from  acting  any  thing  that  doth  apper- 
tain to  your  office,  in  administring  seals  and  sacraments,  or  matters  of  govern- 
ment as  an  officer,  until  you  have  given  the  church  satisfaction  therewith.  We 
do  desire  and  admonish  you  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  speedily  to 
endeavour  that  God  may  have  his  glory  by  it  and  the  hearts  of  your  grieved 
brethren  in  the  church  may  be  comforted  and  in  the  mean  time  as  a  gifted 
brother  you  may  preach  for  the  edification  of  the  church  if  you  please.  Your 
loving  but  afflicted  brethren  of  the  church  of  Newbury.  Signed  by  us  in 
behalf  of  the  church. 

RICHARD  DUMMKK. 

1  March  sixteenth,  1670.  RICHARD  THORLA.' 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  83 

'This  was  brought  to  Mr.  Parker  by  Archelaus  Woodman.  William  Titcomb, 
Richard   Bartlet  and  Samuel  Plumer.  and   Samuel  Plumer  read  it5 

Witnesses. 

RICHARD  KNIGHT.         ANTHONY   SOMERBY. 
NOTES.          SAMUEL  LOWLE. 


1  After  sunset  William  Titcomb,  Stephen  Titcomb.  Stephen  Greenleaf;  Rich- 
ard Bartlet  and  Caleb  Moody  came  with  a  message  to  Mr.  Parker  and  told  him 
they  were  sent  from  the  church  to  give  him  notice  that  the  church  had  chosen 
t\vo  ruling  elders,  namely.  Mr.  Dummer  and  Mr.  Woodman,  and  they  were  to 
send  to  the  two  neighbouring  churches  to  join  with  them  to  ordain  them  upon 
this  day  sevennight.  Witnesses  to  the  message  of  the  church,  captain  G&rrish, 
Richard  Knight.  Nicholas  Noyes;  John  Knight,  senior.  Mr.  Woodbridge  and 
Anthony  Somerby.' 

1  We  whose  names  are  here  underwritten  do  consent  to  the  writing,  which  do 
declare  an  act  of  the  church  laying  Mr.  Parker  under  blame,  and  suspending 
him  from  all  official  acts  in  the"  church.  Dated  sixteenth  of  March,  1670. 

MR.  RICHARD  DUMMER.  JOHN  BAILEY. 

MR.  EDWARD  WOODMAN.  JOB  PILSBURY. 

ARCHELAUS  WOODMAN.  STEVEN  SWETT. 

WILLIAM  MOODY.  BENJAMIN  ROLF. 

*"  WILLIAM  ILSLEY.  JOHN  WELLS. 

FRANCIS  PLUMER.  NICHOLAS  BATT. 

WILLIAM  TITCOMB.  ABRAHAM  TOPPAN. 

JOHN  EMERY,  senior.  ANTHONY  MORS,  senior. 

JOHN  EMERY,  junior.  WILLIAM  SAWYER. 

RICHARD  THORLA.  EDWARD  WOODMAN,  junior. 

JOHN  MERRILL.  WILLIAM  PILSBURY. 

FRANCIS  THORLA.  CALEB   MOODY. 

EDMUND  MOORES.  JOHN  POORE,  senior. 

STEPHEN   GREENLEAF.  JOHN  POORE,  junior. 

THOMAS  BROWNE.  JOHN  WEBSTER, 

ABRAHAM  MBKRII.I,.  ROBERT  COKER. 

BENJAMIN  LOWLE.  JOHN    BARTLET,  senior. 

RICHARD  BARTLET.  JOHN   BARTLET,  junior. 

SAMI-EL  PLUMER.  EDWARD  RICHARDSON. 

JOSEPH  PLUMER.  JAMES  ORDWAY. 
THOMAS  HALE,  junior.  41.' 

Mr.  Parker  then  sent  the  following  letter  to  Mr.  Woodman  and 
his  company. 

'March  16th,  1670.  Having  so  frequently  and  seriously  testifyed  against 
your  irregular  actings  (determined  to  be  such  by  the  council)  it  cannot  be 
expected  that  I  should  concur  with  you  to  promote  any  disorder  and  consent  to 
the  erecting  of  any  new  form  of  government  contrary  to  the  received  profession 
and  constant  practice  of  the  churches  here  amongst  us. 

Your  carriages  have  been  such  in  these  transac  tings,  as  have  reflected  great  in- 
famy and  reproach  on  me.  I  cannot  consent  to  agree  with  you  to  promote  you  in 
your  way.  till  by  some  publick  audience  I  shall  have  vindicated  myself  from  any 
unjust  aspersion  you  have  cast  upon  me.  My  compliance  with  you  may  by  others 
be  interpreted  a  judging  of  myself  guilty,  and  that  therefore  I  am  willing-  by  com- 
position to  make  up  my  own  errors  and'  miscarriages.  Four  of  the  brethren  have 
been  publickly  complained  of  and  brought  before  the  church  to  answer  for  their 
publick  otlences,  their  answer  through  your  meanes  and  their  open  refusal  hath 
been  interrupted.  I  shall  not  willingly  consent  to  any  motions  from  you  that 
may  hinder  their  just  conviction,  nor  do  I  think  that  any  of  your  designes  are 
to  be  attended  to  till  this  be  duly  examined  and  judged.  Once  more  I  earnestly 
desire  you  to  consider  yourselves,  and  not  go  on  in  such  irresrular  courses,  which 
though  you  seem  to  justify  yourselves  in.  yet  assuredly  will  prove  evil  in  the 
end.  Do  not  thinke  it  a  light  matter  to  break  the  unity  and  peace  of  the  church, 


84  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

hinder  the  edification  of  the  church,  cast  contempt  on  the  ministry,  grieve  your 
pastor  and  brethren,  give  offence  to  other  churches,  and  bring  up  an  evil  report 
and  cast  reproach  upon  the  government  of  the  churches  here,  and  once  more  I 
entreat  you  to  think  of  some  way  of  reconciling  our  differences,  which  we  think 
will  only  be  by  consenting  with  us  to  call  a  regular  council,  resolving  to  submit 
to  their  advice.  If  we  cannot  prevail  with  you  by  this  motion,  we  shall  be  forced 
to  consider  what  courses  shall  be  taken  to  defend  ourselves,  and  blame  us  not 
for  using  any  lawful  meanes  whereby  we  redress  your  sin  and  our  distractions. 

THOMAS  PARKER. 

1  Th«  preceding  paper  Mr.  Parker  sent  to  Mr.  Woodman  and  his  company  by 
seven  of  the  brethren,  wTho  when  they  had  read  it  to  them  were  desired  to  ab- 
sent themselves  from  them,  and  towards  night  they  sent  the  ensuing  paper,' 
namely. 


f  Reverend  sir, 

t  Mr.  Thomas  Parker, 


1  Hearing  a  bruite  about  ye  towne  of  an  intention  of  some 
of  your  party  to  complain  at  Ipswich  court  of  several  brethren  of  their  personal 
and  common  weakness,  we  thought  good  to  put  you  in  minde  how  far  it  is  from 
the  rule  of  Christian  love  so  to  practice  one  against  another  before  court  and 
county,  which  might  be  healed  at  home  with  a  word  of  reproof  from  one  brother 
to  another  according  to  the  mind  of  God,  which  saith,  thou  shalt  not  hate  thy 
brother  in  thy  heart,  neither  shalt  thou  suffer  sin  upon  him.  We  would  desire 
you  to  consider  that  yourselves  are  men  of  infirmity  as  well  as  we  are.  and  in  case 
your  practice  in  this  kind  should  provoke  us  to  do  the  like,  what  appearance  of 
revengeful  doings  w^ould  there  be  in  the  face  of  the  country,  and  no  end  could 
appear  but  to  vent  corruption  towards  one  another,  and  nothing  attained  thereby 
of  that  concernment,  to  which  we  pretend  ourselves  conscientiously  engaged, 
but  to  vent  our  stomachs  one  at  another  to  the  great  dishonor  of  God,  reproach 
of  religion,  and  to  put  advantage  into  the  hands  of  wicked  men  to  speak  re- 
proachfully of  religion  in  general.  More  rather  we  desire  that  we  may  be  of 
one  mind  so  far  as  to  cover  the  shame  of  each,  other,  when  no  good  end  can  be 
obtained  in  opening  of  the  same,  and  commit  our  case  as  it  is  conscientious  to 
us  to  the  determination  of  the  general  court,  to  which  we  must  sit  down,  either 
active  or  passive,  without  which  we  see  no  hope  of  issue,  and  for  the  avoiding 
of  offence,  what  may  be,  we  will  state  our  complaint  at  home,  and  you  shall 
have  a  copy  of  it  in  case  you  will  agree  there  to  answer  to  it  which  will  bee 
the  most  likely  way  to  issue  our  endless  and  boundless  confusions,  that  we 
do  know  of.' 

EDWARD  WOODMAN 
In  the  name  of  the  church.' 

1  Received  the  above  the  twenty-third  of  March  1670,  read  by  Samuel  Plumer, 
ferryman,  and  brought  by  John  Webster.' 

The  following  by  Mr.  Parker  and  his  friends  needs  no  explanation. 

1 March  19th,  1670.  It  is  too  wofully  known  what  great  and  how  many  conten- 
tions have  troubled  this  church  for  sundry  years,  what  means  have  been  used 
from  time  to  time  for  reconciling  of  them.  We  have  the  testimony  of  a  council 
of  nine  churches  concurring  with  us  that  Mr.  Woodman  and  those  that  have  ad- 
hered to  him  have  been  the  causes  of  a  disturbance.  What  patience  have 
been  used  towards  them,  yet  what  opposition  have  been  made  by  them,  how  irrev- 
erently they  have  carried  themselves  in  presence  of  God  in  sundry  church  meet- 
ings, what  impediments  they  have  cast  in  our  way,  whereby  church  adminis- 
trations have  not  only  wanted  their  solemnity,  but  also  have  been  hindred  so  as 
that  just  discipline  could  not  be  executed.  These  things  are  all  publickly  known. 
But  especially  their  actings  on  the  Lord's  day  January  twenty -ninth,  1670,  which 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  85 

have  since  bin  in  several  meetings  continued  by  them.  We  have  often  minded 
them  and  earnestly  desired  that  they  would  consent  with  us  to  call  a  council  as 
an  ordinance  of  G'od,  commonly  practised  by  the  churches  of  this  country  as  a 
hopeful  meanes  of  a  reconciliation,  which  motion  of  ours  hath  been  as  often  by 
them  refused  as  by  us  proposed.  In  conclusion  they  have  so  far  proceeded  in 
their  irregularities  and  miscarriages  as  that  March  sixteenth  they  have  sent  a 
writing  to  Mr.  Parker  their  pastor  whereby  they  do  signify  that  they  do  suspend 
him  from  acting  any  duty  of  his  office.  They  have  chosen  two  ruling  elders 
imposing  them  on  the  pastor  and  the  church  contrary  to  their  consent,  whereby 
they  would  not  only  deprive  this  church  of  the  holy  ordinances,  which  Christ 
hatn  given  them,  but  have  hereby  cut  themselves  off  from  the  communion  of 
the  church. 

1  In  consideration  of  which  premises  (to  mention  no  more)  we  the  pastor  and 
brethren  of  the  church  of  Newbury,  in  the  name  and  fear  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  way  of  defence  of  his  poor  flock  here  that  they  may  not  be  left  as 
sheep  without  a  shepherd,  and  in  vindicating  the  honor  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
and  his  ordinances,  not  knowing  any  other  regular  way  left  according  to  the  rule 
of  the  scripture,  than  to  withdraw  from  them,  who  walk  inordinately  and  cause 
division ;  we  do  hereby  declare  that  for  the  future  we  do  renounce  communion 
with  all  those  brethren  that  have  so  deeply  violated  the  communion  of  Christ's 
church,  nor  shall  we  accept  them  as  regular  members  of  the  church  of  Christ 
among  us  till  God  shall  give  them  a  mind  to  see  and  heart  to  acknowledge  and 
confess  their  great  offences,  which  we  earnestly  desire  of  him  to  grant  through 
Jesus  Christ. 

'At  a  church  meeting  March  twenty-second  1670. 

'  Agreed  that  this  paper  should  be  annexed  to  the  vote  that  was  passed  the 
Lord's  day  March  nineteenth  1670  that  those  brethren  that  have  acted  in  the 
paper  sent  the  sixteenth  of  March  1670  to  the  pastor,  wherein  they  suspend  the 
pastor  from  his  office,  we  do  renounce  communion  with  them  in  the  communion 
of  the  Lord's  supper  and  in  the  administration  of  discipline  until  they  give  us 
satisfaction.' 

THOMAS  PARKER. 

The  next  day,  March  twenty-third,  Mr.  Parker  and  some  brethren 
with  him,  sent  the  following  paper  to  Mr.  Woodman's  party. 

c  That  there  may  be  nothing  wanting  in  us  to  evidence  that  love  and  respect 
unto  you,  which  brethren  ought  to  have  one  towards  another,  and  the  duty  we 
owe  to  God  binds  us  to,  understanding  by  your  messengers  that  you  intend  to 
ordain  two  ruling  elders,  we  cannot  but  once  more  motion  to  you,  that  though 
you  little  regard  the  offence  and  grief  of  your  pastor,  brethren  and  the  churches 
of  God  abroad,  which  we  suppose  you  ought  to  do,  and  if  you  have  any  bowels 
of  love  left,  we  hope  you  may  do,  yet  we  earnestly  intreat  you  not  to  despise 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  by  making  his  ordinances  contemptible.  Do  you  not 
know  how  distasteful  it  will  be  to  him  to  profane  his  holy  things  ?  Do  you  think 
he  will  own  them  for  his  ordinances,  which  you  make  use  of  to  advance  your 
owne  humours  and  divisions  1  Do  not  despise  the  civil  authority  above  us,  we 
have  cause  abundantly  to  thank  God  that  they  will  countenance  and  protect  us 
in  the  enjoying  what  Christ  allows  us,  but  you  know  that  the  rale  of  the  scrip- 
tures and  theirs  concurring  with  it  is  that  elders  should  be  blameless,  nor  do 
they  allow  any  to  be  ordained  that  are  scandalous,  and  you  know  that  Mr. 
Woodman,  one  of  them  that  you  have  chosen  stands  publickly  charged  with 
several  scandals,  nor  hath  he  to  this  day  endeavoured  to  satisfy  his  brethren.  If 
you  should  still  persist  and  go  on  after  "this  our  advice,  which  in  love  and  affec- 
tion we  give  unto  you,  we  hope  we  have  discharged  our  duty  and  leave  you  to 
his  judgment,  that  will  in  his  time  judge  every  thing  in  truth.  In  the  mean 
while  this  shall  stand  as  an  evidence  for  us  that  we  have  done  our  endeavour  to 
prevent  your  shine.' 

THOMAS  PARKER. 


86  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

'  Names  of  those,  who  adhered  to  Mr.  Parker  and  did  not  act  in  Mr.  Parker's 
sentence.' 

RICHARD  DOLE.  JAMES  KENT. 

JOHN  KENT.  RICHARD  KENT. 

THOMAS  HALE,  senior.  RICHARD  KNIGHT. 

JOHN  KNIGHT,  senior.  JOHN   KELLY. 

-    JAMES  JACKMAN.  ROBERT  LONG. 

DANIEL  PIERCE,  junior.  HENRY  SHORT,  senior. 

NICHOLAS  NOYES.  SAMUEL  MOODY. 

THOMAS  TURVILL.  HENRY  JAQUES. 

Captain  WILLIAM   GERRISH.  ROBERT  ADAMS. 

.TRISTRAM   COFFIN.  JOSEPH  MU/ZEY. 

NATHANIEL   CLARK.  WILLIAM   CHANDLER. 

Captain  PAUL  WHITE.  Mr.  RICHARD  LOWLE. 

WILLIAM  MORSE.  ANTHONY  SOMERBY. 

JONATHAN  MORSE.  ABIEL  SOMERBY. 

*ABEL  HUSE.  Mr.  HENRY  SEWALL. 

JOHN  DAVIS.  GEORGE  LITTLE. 
Thirty-two  regular  members. 

Mr.  JOSEPH  HILLS.  Mr.  JOHN   WOODBRIDGE. 

DANIEL  PIERCE,  senior.  RICHARD  PETTINGELL. 

JAMES  SMITH.  JOHN  SMITH. 

Though  no  members.' 

On  the  nineteenth  of  April,  the  ex-parte  council,  which  had  assem- 
bled November  fifth,  1669,  met  again  at  Newbury.  The  following 
is  'a  copy  of  the  request  presented  by  Mr.  Woodman  and  the 
brethren  with  him  to  the  council.' 

*  The  major  part  of  the  brethren  of  this  congregation  doth  in  all  humble  wise 
desire  this  honored  and  reverend  assembly  to  take  into  their  serious  considera- 
tion our  sad  and  distracted  condition,  who  have  spent  twenty-five  years  and 
more  in  uncomfortable  and  unprofitable  contention  and  division,  whereby  God 
hath  been  much  dishonored,  religion  much  disadvantaged,  our  souls  much 
impoverished  and  our  credit  as  a  church  much  impaired,  defamed  throughout 
the  country  for  an  unquiet  people  and  unreconcilable  by  the  long  continuance 
of  our  difference  and  dissension,  and  now  of  late  the  cry  hereof  hath  been 
more  loud  in  the  ears  of  the  churches  than  in  former  times,  which  produced 
this  effect.  The  messengers  of  nine  churches  are  come  to  see  whether  things 
are  amongst  us  according  to  the  cry  that  their  ears  are  filled  withal,  whom  we 
do  heartily  wish  that  God  would  make  instruments  for  the  settlement  of  peace 
and  truth  amongst  us,  and  so  throw  down  the  strong  hold  that  Satan  has 
erected  against  us  for  the  obtaining  of  which  end  our  impartial  request  to  this 
reverend  assembly  is  that  the  ground  and  causes  of  our  long  dissensions  may 
be  thoroughly  inquired  into.  Among  physicians  it  is  a  maxim  that  when  it  is 
known  what  the  disease  is  and  where  it  is  settled,  it  is  half  cured.  Our  earnest 
desire  is  that  you  would  grant  us  three  things.  First,  that  you  would  cancel  any 
hand  writing  signed  by  yourselves  against  us,  our  case  not  being  heard. 
Second,  that  you  will  be  pleased  to  hear  our  case  and  give  us  your  advice,  not 
as  a  council,  (we  having  had  no  hand  in  your  call,  but  in  an  orderly  way  the 
hands  of  two  thirds  of  the  church  lifted  up  against  it)  but  as  honored  and 
reverend  brethren,  giving  your  advice  tending  our  sad  and  solemn  estate. 

'  Third,  that  you  will  lay  aside  all  prejudice  against  us,  which  you  may 
receive  by  so  many  private  informations  and  instigations  against  us  and  now 
begin  to  hear  what  both  parties  can  say  for  themselves  as  to  the  case  in  hand, 
as  if  you  had  heard  nothing  concerning  the  same. 

'  It  is  no  small  trouble  upon  our  spirits  that  we  should  be  so  ill  resented  in 
the  hearts,  and  so  ill  spoken  of  amongst  many  godly  and  reverend  persons  (as 
we  conceive)  without  any  just  cause  at  all  as  unto  man,  especially  when  we 
consider  the  pretended  cause,  which  is  some  grand  defect  in  matter  of  religion 
as  a  people  declined  and  fallen  from  something  therein,  which  maketh  our 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  87 

persons  offensive  and  out  of  favour  with  many.  If  there  be  any  thing  of  that 
nature,  of  which  we  are  guilty,  it  must  be  in  matter  of  faith  or  in  church  order. 
As  for  matters  of  faith,  we  "know  not  wherein  we  differ  from  the  godly  in 
general  what  order  soever  they  are  under. 

1  As  concerning  church  order  or  discipline  we  know  not  what  may  be  against 
us.  for  we  wholly  own  that,  which  the  New  Testament  doth  clearly  hold  forth 
as  the  mind  of  Christ  to  his  church,  that  which  the  general  court  hath  estab- 
lished for  the  synod  book,  we  hold  the  substance  of  it.  We  own  Mr.  Hooker's 
Polity,  Mr.  Mather's  catechisme,  Mr.  Cotton's  Keys,  for  the  substance  of  it. 
That  which  the  churches  have  practised  in  general  with  a  joint  consent  as  far 
as  we  know.  Yea  that,  which  hath  been  New  England's  glory,  in  which  God 
hath  come  nearer  to  them  than  to  any  other  people.  And  the  way,  in  which 
the  Old  and  New  Testament  do  prove  to  be  the  instituted  way  of  God's 
appointment  for  his  churches  to  walk  in.  But  indeed  we  have  cause  to  doubt 
that  the  offence  here  against  us  here  at  home  is  because  we  abide  constant  to 
those  principles  and  will  not  turn  presbyterians.  As  for  our  controversy  it  is 
whether  God  hath  placed  the  power  in  the  elder,  or  in  the  whole  church,  to 
judge  between  truth  and  error,  right  and  wrong,  brother  and  brother,  and  all 
things  of  church  concernment.  It  is  denied  that  the  fraternity  have  any  thing 
to  do  with  it,  but  the  minister  only,  and  if  his  determination  be  not  approved  of, 
the  persons  asrijrieved  may  appeal  to  all  the  ministers  in  the  country.  And  it 
is  come  to  that  passe  that  such  as  do  not  consent  hereto  are  Corathites,  and  like 
the  sons  of  Eli.  that  make  the  holy  things  of  God  to  be  despised,  and  upon  this 
ground  is  our  division  and  contention.  Principles  preached  and  endeavoured 
to  be  practised,  one  contrary  to  another,  have  made  two  sorts  of  professions, 
contrary  one  to  another,  whereby  we  differ  almost  in  all  things  in  church  and 
town  affairs.  And  yet  we  that  to  this  day  have  stood  unmoveable  to  those 
principles  proved  by  the  scriptures  in  books  of  controversy,  in  catechisms  by 
the  synod,  by  the  ecclesiastical  laws  confirmed,  and  approved  of  by  the 
practice  of  all  churches  in  general,  are  tost  up  and  down  by  the  mouths  of 
some  unworthy  persons  as  declmers  to  levelism,  to  Morellianism  and  are  a 
people  that  nothing  will  satisfy. 

1  Thus  having  opened  to  this  honored  and  reverend  assembly  in  general  the 
state  and  condition  of  this  poore  distracted  con«TPuation,  our  earnest  desire  is 
that  you  will  be  pleased  to  apply  your  wisdom  to  the  uttermost  for  our  healing, 
and  not  conceit  that  a  slight  plaster  will  heal  us.  for  our  wound  is  festered,  our 
disease  is  rooted.  God  did  once  complain  that  the  wound  of  the  daughter  of 
his  people  was  healed  slightly,  and  so  it  brake  out  again.  Consider  we  beseech 
you  that  to  heal  breaches  and  repair  desolations  in  churches  is  not  a  work  of  an 
'inferior  nature,  for  if  peacemakers  shall  be  called  the  children  of  God.  it  doth 
greatly  concern  you  to  improve  the  opportunity  God  hath  put  in  your  hands  to 
make  peace  and  truth  dwell  together  in  this  poor  distracted  congregation.  The 
which  that  you  may  do.  the  God  of  peace  guide  both  your  hearts  and  lips  to 
create  peace  for  us"  so  shall  we  record  in  our  hearts  and  acknowledge  with  our 
lips  to  the  praise  of  God  that  under  himself  he  hath  delighted  to  make  you 
instruments  of  our  peace  and  repairers  of  the  breach  in  this  congregation. 

1  These  things  we  desire  of  the  honored  and  reverend  assembly,  not  as  of  a 
council,  but  as  above  premised,  as  honored  friends  and  brethren.' 

(Before  the  council  returned  their  answer,  the  following  script 
was  sent  in,  namely : ) 

*  Honored  and  reverend  friends,  this  is  as  an  addition  to  our  first  request,  that 
in  case  you  will  not  be  pleased  to  cancel  what  you  have  signed  against  us,  that 
you  give  us  liberty  to  speak  to  that  case  before  any  other  thing  be  brought  in 
agitation.' 

£THE    ANSWER    FROM    THE    COUNCIL.' 

'  To  Mr.  Woodman  and  the  brethren  with  him. 

'  Though  we  do.  and  cannot  but.   assert  ourselves  as  a  council, 
consisting  of  elders  and  messengers  of  churches,  yet  for  the  present  waving 


88  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

that  consideration,  having  weighed  your  affectionate  motion,  we  shall  be  ready 
to  hear  your  case,  provided  that  you  will  engage  to  submit  actively  or  passively 
to  such  advice  as  we  shall  commend  unto  you  therein  according  to  the  word  of 
God.  THOMAS  COBBET 

In  the  name  and  with  the  consent  of  the  elders  and 
messengers  of  the  churches  assembled.' 

ANSWER. 

1  We  thankfully  acknowledge  your  condescending  to  hear  our  case,  and  do 
seriously  profess  that  our  aim  and  end  is  to  hear  the  advice  of  yourselves 
therein  in  order  unto  practice  and  do  solemnly  engage  to  the  utmost  of  our 
ability  to  receive  with  all  readiness,  and  attend  with  all  diligence  whatsoever 
scripture  light  you  may  impart  unto  us  according  to  the  best  of  our  understand- 
ing and  consciences. 

EDWARD  WOODMAN, 
WILLIAM  TITCOMB, 
ARCHELAUS  WOODMAN, 
April  nineteenth,  1670.  CALEB  MOODY, 

In  the  name  of  the  rest. 

1  On  the  nineteenth  day  in  the  afternoon  Mr.  Parker  and  the  brethren  with 
him  their  grievances  were  read  in  publick. 

1  On  the  twentieth  day  Mr.  Woodman's  twenty-six  grievances  were  read. 
1  On  the  twenty-first  day  another  grievance  was  sent  in  by  Mr.  Woodman's 
partie,  signed  by  William  Titcomb  and  Caleb  Moody  in  the  name  of  the  rest.' 
'  On  the  twenty-second  of  April  1670  the  council  came  to  the  following 
result.' 

'  COVENANT.' 

( We  whose  names  are  underwritten  do  hereby  testify  and  declare  that  we  do 
fully  consent  and  agree  unto  the  covenant  and  agreement  contracted  and  made 
betwixt  Mr.  Parker,  our  reverend  pastor,  and  Mr.  Woodman  and  the  brethren 
that  are  with  him,  that  is  to  say  that  the  synod  book  called  the  platform  of 
discipline  with  the  other  four  articles  shall  be  our  rule  in  the  church  of 
Newbury  for  our  practice  in  all  administrations,  because  we  take  it  to  be  an 
explanation  of  the  scriptures,  and  a  rule  agreed  upon  as  a  means  to  avoid  all 
future  divisions  and  contentions,  we  mean  the  agreement  made  before  and  by 
the  help  of  the  messengers  of  nine  churches,  contained  under  five  heads,  signed 
under  the  hand  of  the  moderator  and  scribe  of  the  assembly,  in  witness  where- 
unto  and  in  witness  whereof  we  the  assembly  set  our  hands.' 

( Articles  of  accommodation  betwixt  Mr.  Parker  of  Newbury,  Mr.  Woodman 
and  the  brethren  with  him  mutually  agreed  upon  before  the  council  at  New- 
bury April  twenty-second,  1670. 

( First,  that  the  platform  of  discipline,  established  by  the  general  court,  prac- 
tised by  the  churches  of  New  England,  shall  be  the  rule  or  standard  of  the 
congregational  way  according  to  which  the  church  of  Newbury  do  resolve  both 
pastor  and  brethren  to  act  in  all  church  administrations. 

i  Second,  that  all  matters  of  controversy  being  considerable  and  of  moment, 
not  issued  before  the  pastor  or  elders  to  mutual  satisfaction  of  parties  concerned, 
shall  be  brought  to  the  church  according  to  the  said  platform.' 

1  Third,  that  they,  who  are  propounded  for  admission  into  the  church  shall 
stand  some  considerable  time,  at  least  a  fortnight,  and  public  warning  given  on 
the  Lord's  day,  when  they  are  to  be  admitted. 

1  Fourth,  that  no  difference  shall  be  made  in  admission  of  members  into  the 
church  upon  account  of  their  difference  of  judgment  as  to  the  congregational 
way  pro  or  con,  the  persons  being  orthodox  and  of  good  conversation. 

1  Fifth,  that,  when  the  providence  of  God  shall  give  an  opportunity  of  regular 
call  of  any  other  officer,  it  shall  be  attended  by  the  church  according  to  what 
is  laid  down  in  the  said  platform  of  discipline,  chapter  the  eighth. 

THOMAS  COBBET,  Moderator. 

Signed  by  Mr.  WOODMAN,    )  ANTIPAS  NEWMAN,  Scribe. 

Mr.  DUMMER  and  38  others.  ) 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBUKY.  89 

This  second  attempt  of  the  council,  to  reconcile  the  conflicting 
opinions,  and  harmonize  the  discordant  feelings,  of  both  parties, 
was  of  no  avail.  The  truce  was  of  short  duration.  Before  the 
close  of  the  year,  the  t  articles  of  accommodation '  appear  to  have 
been  entirely  forgotten,  and  the  storrn,  which  had  apparently  sub- 
sided, again  raged  more  fiercely  than  ever ;  and  it  was  not  until  the 
lapse  of  several  years  that  peace  was  finally  restored.  The  '  distrac- 
tions in  the  military  company '  still  continued. 

'  On  May  eleventh,  the  court,  having  left  it  to  the  care  of  the 
major  general  to  make  temporary  provision  for  military  officers  at 
Newbury,  who  did  appoint  Archelaus  Woodman  lieutenant,  and 
Stephen  Greenleaf  ensign,  confirms  their  appointment.'  Both  of 
these  officers  were  of  Mr.  Woodman's  party. 

On  March  seventh,  '  Peter  Cheney  proposed  to  the  town  for  half 
an  acre  of  land  on  or  about  the  little  hill  this  side  the  mill,  to  build 
a  wind  mill  upon  to  grind  corn  for  the  town,  when  the  water  mill 
fails.'  This  was  granted  by  the  town,  '  upon  condition  that  he  do 
build  a  good  mill  to  answer  the  end  proposed  for  and  so  long  as  the 
mill  is  made  and  maintained  for  the  said  service  and  no  longer.' 

This  mill  stood  on  the  '  little  hill,'  near  the  mill  bridge,  or  '  four 
rock,'  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  and  remained  there  till  Mr.  Cheney 
removed  to  Byfield,  in  the  year  1687. 

May  2lst.  '  It  was  voted  that  the  order  in  the  town  book,  that 
gives  Mr.  Woodbridge  sixty  pounds  a  year  for  his  preaching  is 
made  void.'  * 

September  19£//.  '  It  was  voted  that  the  selectmen  shall  take  care 
that  ******  ******  fence  in  no  more  [land]  than  his  due.'  * 

*  The  town  granted  to  William  Titcomb  and  Amos  Siickney  the 
Little  pine  swamp  to  be  their  propriety,  with  skirts  of  the  common, 
provided  they  make  and  maintain  a  sufficient  fence  about  the  hole 
for  the  safety  of  the  cattle  from  time  to  time.'  * 

The  '  pine  swamp '  mentioned  above,  is  the  tract  of  land  on  the 
south  side  of  Oak-hill  cemetery,  and  \vas,  it  appears,  surrounded  by 
the  common.  The  town  also  voted,  '  that  the  selectmen  should 
order  Thomas  Turvill  to  his  kinsman's,  also  to  be  helpful  to  the 
poore.'  * 

This  is  the  first  intimation,  except  the  case  of  John  Eels,  the 
bee-hive  maker,  that  the  town  had  any  occasion  to  make  pro- 
vision for  the  poor.  Turvill  went  to  reside  with  his  'kinsman,' 
Henry  Short,  in  whose  old  account  book  I  find  the  following 
inventory.  It  was  taken  May  twenty- second,  1673,  when  he  had 
made  an  agreement  with  the  town,  to  keep  Thomas  Turvill  for 
three  shillings  per  week. 

'The  following  is  an  account  of  what  clothes  he  had  and  their  value, 
appraised  by  three  of  the  neighbours. 

*  Town  records. 

12 


90  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

'May  22d,  1673. 

An  old  vvorne  out  coat  and  briches  with  an  old  lining,  £0  65.  Orf. 

A  thread  bare,  tho  indifferent  close  coat  and  doublet  with  an  old 

wast  coat,  £10    0 

Two  shirts  and  a  band  11s.,  a  pair  of  shoes,  4s.,  15    0 

An  old  greasy  hatt,  6d,  a  pair  of  stockings,  Is.,  16 

An  old  doublet,  an  old  wast  cote  and  a  pair  of  old  sheep  skin 

briches,  4    0 


£2  6s.  6d. 
In  1675  his  clothes  were  appraised  again  by  three  neighbours  and 

the  amount  was  £2  12s.  5d.' 

'  There  was  a  great  drought  this  summer/  * 


1671. 

At  the  April  term  of  the  court  at  Ipswich,  the  following  complaint 
was  entered.  It  needs  no  explanation,  as  it  is  sufficiently  clear  and 
explicit. 

'  To  the  honored  court  at  Ipswich. 

1  Having  tried  all  private  means  and  publick  ecclesiastical  by  councils  accord- 
ing as  we  were  directed  by  our  honored  magistrates,  all  which  since  they  prove 
unsuccessful,  nor  can  we  see  any  hope  of  silencing,  much  less  of  curing,  our 
difficulties  and  fearing  lest  such  miscarriages  may  have  an  influence,  not  only  to 
breed  public  disturbance  in  other  churches,  some  sparks  whereof  already  ap- 
pear, but  may  break  forth  into  open  factions  and  mutinies,  having  no  other  rem- 
edy we  humbly  conceive  it  our  duty,  as  being  necessitated  to  it,  to  present  our 
case  to  civil  authority  intreating  them  at  least  to  redress  such  miscarriages  as 
are  contrary  to  the  known  laws  of  the  country,  and  so,  contrary  to  the  public 
peace.  Title  ecclesiastical  section  fourteen  is  forbidden  contemptuous  behav- 
iour toward  the  wrord  of  God  preached,  or  the  messengers  of  the  same,  or  cast- 
ing any  reproach  on  their  doctrine  and  persons,  to  the  dishonour  of  our  Lord 
Jesus,  disparagement  of  his  holy  ordinances,  and  making  God's  ways  contemp- 
tible and  ridiculous,  as  sect,  chapter  heresies  n.  seven.  Every  person,  that 
shall  revile  the  person  or  office  of  magistrates,  or  ministers,  such  person,  or  per- 
sons shall  be  severely  whipt  or  pay  trie  fine  of  five  pounds.  Likewise  it  is  pro- 
vided, chapter  first,  that  no  man's  honour  or  good  name  shall  be  stained. 

'  First,  as  offenders  against  these  laws  we  humbly  present  to  this  honored  court, 
whether  all  those,  that  call  themselves  the  church  and  brethren  of  the  church 
of  Newbury,  who  have  irregularly  convened,  have  publickly  read  and  debated 
certain  articles  presented  to  them  by  Mr.  Edward  Woodman  against  our  pastor, 
Mr.  Parker  (whose  inoffensiveness  is  generally  known)  tending  to  his  great  re- 
proach and  infamy,  and  have  as  appears  by  their  publick  writing  judged  and 
determined  the  said  Mr.  Parker  to  be  the  cause  of  their  divisions  and  troubles 
to  have  broken  several  covenants  and  agreements  with  the  church  (as  may  more 
fully  appear  by  the  articles  exhibited  by  the  said  Mr.  Woodman  against  him) 
and  therefore  do  publickly  blame  him,  yea  so  deeply  that  they  take  upon  them 
to  suspend  him  from  his  office,  which  articles  upon  due  examination,  we  doubt 
not  but  will  appear  vanities,  yet  their  publick  actings  being  bruited  over  the 
country  must  need  tend  to  the  great  reproach  of  Mr.  Parker  when  they  shall 
hear  so  many  articles  and  such  a  censure,  and  in  particular  we  present  to  you 
Mr.  Woodman,  the  plaintiff,  and  Mr.  Richard  Dummer,  whom  they  termed  the 
president,  Archelaus  Woodman,  and  William  Titcomb,  moderators,  and  Samuel 
Plumer  and  Richard  Bartlet,  messengers,  who  are  able  to  inform  of  the  rest. 

*  Roxbury  church  records. 


HISTORY    OF    XEWBURT.  91 

1  Second,  whether  Mr.  Edward  Woodman,  who  was  formerly  convicted  of  his 
scandalous  reviling  Mr.  Parker,  besides  frequent  contemptible  speeches  and 
threatenings  of  him  be  not  fallen  into  the  same  offence  by  publickly  affirming 
that  Mr.  Parker  hath  broken  covenant  three  times  already,  and  no  covenant  will 
stand  before  him.  Likewise  in  the  same  law  underneath  whosoever  shall  go 
about  to  destroy  or  disturb  the  order  or  peace  of  the  churches  established  in  this 
jurisdiction  on  groundless  conceits  and  so  forth.  Now  as  contrary  to  this, 

'  First,  whether  it  be  not  factious  for  a  part  of  the  church  without  the  knowl- 
edge and  privity  of  the  pastor  and  brethren  to  meet  together  and  carry  on  church 
affairs  in  a  way  of  complaint  against  their  pastor,  and  whether  this  may  not  be 
accounted  an  act  of  conspiracy  against  their  pastor  and  the  church,  yet  this  has 
been  done  by  them  at  Stephen  Greenleaf 's  house,  where  were  present  Mr. 
Woodman,  Mr.  Dummer  and  many  ethers  as  we  are  informed. 

1  Second,  whether  it  be  not  a  disturbance  to  the  order  of  the  churches  for  Mr. 
Woodman  at  most  but  a  deacon,  on  a  Lord's  day  immediately  after  the  morning 
exercise  (though  he  was  desired  by  the  pastor  to  forbear,  and  not  profane  the 
sabbath  day  by  open  disturbance  and  so  forbad  him  to  proceed)  to  desire  the 
church  to  stay ;  and  when  Mr.  Parker  told  him  he  had  broken  the  agreement, 
Mr.  Woodman  replied  to  him,  I  speak  not  to  you,  but  to  the  church,  for  I  have 
divers  complaints  against  you.  and  when  Mr.  Parker  was  gone,  to  tell  them  that 
he  had  several  complaints  against  Mr.  Parker,  and  desired  them  to  appoint  a 
church  meeting  to  hear  them  (though  Mr.  Parker  immediately  before  had  warned 
a  church  meeting)  many  of  them  consented  to  it,  and  so  upward  of  thirty  voted  it. 

1  Third,  whether  it  be  not  a  like  breach  of  the  public  order  and  peace  of  the 
churches  for  the  said  persons  solemnly  to  cause  the  bell  to  be  rung  and  repair 
unto,  and  observe,  such  an  irregular  meeting,  to  term  themselves  the  church 
(though  not  the  major  part  of  the  church)  and  in  the  name  of  the  church  to  send 
for  the  pastor  to  answer  the  charges  laid  against  him  by  Mr.  Woodman.  And 
here  particularly  Mr.  Dummer,  Archelaus  Woodman  and  William  Titcomb 
were  moderators,  the  rest  witnesses  and  judges. 

1  Fourth,  whether  it  be  not  a  like  breach  of  the  order  and  peace  of  the  churches 
when  any  of  the  members  being  publickly  warned  by  the  pastor  and  the  per- 
sons duly  summoned,  the  said  persons  shall  publickly  contest  against  their  pas- 
tor, and  will  not  agree  so  much  as  to  have  their  charges  read,  unless  their  pastor 
will  first  put  it  to  vote  whether  it  were  the  mind  of  the  church  that  it  should  be 
read,  and  whether  after  such  debate  taken,  the  said  charges  shall  begin  to  be 
read  there  is  an  uproar  and  hubbub  raised  that  the  church  might  not  hear  what 
was  read,  and  when  they  are  read,  they  being  particularly  read  and  desired  to 
answer,  they  shall  directly  refuse  to  do,  yet  guilty  of  such  things  are  Mr.  Wood- 
man, Archelaus  Woodman,  William  Titcomb,  William  Pilsbury. 

•  Fifth,  whether  Mr.  Richard  Dummer,  and  Richard  Thorla  signing  a  paper 
in  behalf  of  the  church,  which  contained  (in  their  apprehension)  an  act  for  the 
suspension  of  the  pastor  from  his  office,  and  thereby  what  in  them,  is,  depriving 
the  whole  church  of  the  ordinances  of  Christ,  which  he  hath  given  to  his  church, 
and  this  without  the  advice  and  direction  of  any  other  church,  are  not  guilty  as 
leaders  in  the  disturbance  of  the  church  but  also  of  falsehood,  when  it  is  not 
the  church,  nor  the  major  part  of  the  church  acting  in  any  lawful  meeting,  that 
gives  them  authority  so  to  do,  and  whether  Archelaus  Woodman,  William  Tit- 
comb,  Richard  Bartlet  and  Samuel  Plumer  in  bringing  and  delivering  it,  be  not 
alike  guilty  of  promoting  the  disturbance  of  the  church. 

1  Sixth,  whether  it  be  not  a  disturbance  of  the  publick  peace  and  order  in  an 
organic  church  for  private  members  contrary  to  the  mind  and  privity  of  their 
pastor  and  brethren,  to  elect  ruling  elders,  imposing  them  on  the  pastor  and 
brethren  without  their  consent,  Mr.  Woodman  one  of  them  being  known  to  be 
scandalous  in  his  conversation,  and  this  not  by  the  major  part  of  the  brethren 
either,  yet  this,  William  Titcomb,  Richard  Bartlet,  Stephen  Greenleaf,  and  Ca- 
leb Moody  brought  as  a  message  to  Mr.  Parker  from  them,  whom  they  called 
the  church,  and  they  are  able  to  give  an  account  who  they  were  that  set  them 
to  work. 

1  Seventh,  lastly  whether  in  these  things  (to  omit  many  others  that  may  be 
mentioned)  Mr.  Woodman  and  those  who  adhere  to  him,  be  not  guilty  as  much 


92  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

as  in  them  lies,  of  erecting  a  new  form  of  government  in  the  church  with  a 
great  deal  of  strife  and  contention,  contrary  to  the  platform  of  discipline  allowed 
by  the  general  court  and  the  received  practice  of  all  the  congregational  churches 
in  this  country,  and  whether  this  be  not  to  trie  breach  of  the  peace  both  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  (n.  11.)  Civil  authority  here  established  hath  power  and 
liberty  to  see  the  peace,  ordinances  and  rules  of  Christ  to  be  observed  in  every 
church  according  to  his  word  ;  and  our  honored  magistrates  in  their  letters  direct- 
ed to  us,  do  account  themselves  bound  by  all  due  means  to  countenance  and 
protect  the  observers  of  the  congregational  government.  We  present  then  these 
things  to  your  wisdoms.  At  our  request  you  would  be  pleased  to  encourage 
those  who  desire  to  be  faithful  to  God  and  lovers  of  truth  and  peace. 

Presented  by  us,  RICHARD   KENT. 

DANIEL  PIERCE,  senior.' 

To  the  preceding  communication  the  following  reply  was  made. 

'To  the  honored  court  at  Ipswich  April  eighteenth,  1671. 
'  Concerning  the  seven  queries  put  to  the  consideration  of  this  court,  they  do 
involve  so  many  within  them  that  they  are  from  us  uncapable  of  an  answer, 
neither  do  we  know  what  use  the  court  will  make  of  them  against  us,  seeing 
they  come  in  as  queries  and  not  as  charges.  We  ourselves  could  trouble  the 
court  with  many  queries,  but  at  this  time  we  shall  forbear.  In  brief  we  would 
humbly  desire  you  to  consider  that  most  if  not  all,  the  particulars  mentioned,  are 
such,  as  will  prove  good  or  evil,  as  we  shall  appear  to  be  a  church  regularly 
acting  or  not,  for  if  we  be  a  church  of  Christ  according  to  order  then  it  is  lawful 
for  a  brother  to  complain  to  the  church  against  any  brother  that  doth  offend. 
Then  secondly  it  is  lawful  for  the  church  to  hear  and  judge.  Thirdly,  then  it 
is  lawful  for  two  brethren  also  to  sign  an  act  of  the  church  as  witnesses. 
Fourth,  then  it  is  lawful  for  them  to  send  messengers  to  Mr.  Parker,  or  whom  it 
may  concerne.  Fifth,  then  it  is  lawful  for  them  to  meet  as  a  church  together. 
Sixth,  then  it  is  lawful  for  them  to  elect  a  ruling  elder  or  elders.  But  we  hope 
your  honored  court  will  convict  us  that  we  have  broken  some  standing  law  or 
laws,  that  were  made  by  the  general  court  before  they  blame  us,  for  we  do 
not  account  ourselves  well  dealt  withal  by  the  authors  of  those  queries  and 
declaration,  whom  we  leave  to  the  Lord. 

i  Lastly  we  do  profess  ourselves  to  be  servants  of  God  and  faithful  subjects 
to  the  commonwealth,  lovers  of  magistrates  and  ministers,  and  all  the  churches 
and  people  of  the  Lord,  and  do  not  willingly  err  from  any  rule  of  God,  nor  of 
the  commonwealth,  but  we  trust  such,  as  shall  be  found  faithful. 

1  We  do  therefore  desire  this  court  to  consider  whether  it  be  not  against  all 
order,  law  or  custom  that  complaint  should  be  brought  to  a  court  against  breth- 
ren, which  from  conscience  of  the  rule  of  Christ  do  complain  to  a  church 
against  an  offending  brother,  merely  because  they  have  complained,  when  the 
church  hath  heard  the  complaint  and  acquit  the  complainer,  by  owning  the 
complaint  to  be  duly  proved,  and  sentenced  the  person  complained  against.  So 
leaving  what  have  been  said  to  your  wisdoms  to  be  considered,  and  yourselves 
to  the  God  of  all  wisdom  to  be  directed,  with  our  hearty  prayers  for  you,  we 
rest  in  the  Lord  to  be  commanded, 

WILLIAM  TITCOMB, 
CALEB  MOODY. 
SAMUEL  PLUMER. 
STEPHEN  GRENLEFE, 
BICHARD  BARTLET.' 

1 A  declaration  of  the  pastor,  and  several  brethren  of  the  church  of  Newbury 
presented  to  this  court  at  Ipswich.7 

1  The  manifold  contentions,  that  have  been  among  us  for  sundry  years  have 
been  matter  of  continual  grief,  and  ought  to  be  of  continual  humiliation,  that 
such  things  should  arise  among  a  people,  whose  beauty  consists  in  their  union 
to  Christ  and  unity  one  with  another. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  93 

1  To  omit  all  former  transactions  (which  we  cannot  reflect  upon  but  with 
grief)  so  high  were  the  opposites  that  according  to  the  direction  of  our  honored 
magistrates,  who  pitied  our  distractions,  we  were  forced  to  desiring  help  of  our 
neighbouring  elders,  and  churches,  who  at  a  council  convened  November  third 
1669,  whom  our  brethren  would  by  no  means  own,  or  subject  unto  as  a  council, 
though  there  was  as  much  reason  to  respect  them  and  accept  their  advice  as 
most  in  the  country. 

'The  council  hereupon  was  forced  to  proceed  according  to  the  allegations  and 
proofs  presented  to  them,  whereby  they  found  and  judged  the  actings  of  our 
brethren  to  be  very  irregular,  contrary  to  the  peace  and  unity,  which  ought  to 
be  in  the  church,  tending  to  confusion,  and  that  which  casts  reproach  on  the 
order  of  the  congregational  churches  among  us,  and  therefore  were  offensive,  and 
if  they  should  proceed  after  such  testimony  of  theirs  ag-ainst  their  ways  it  would 
be  much  more  offensive,  sufficiently  evidencing  to  them  that  there  was  just 
cause  of  complaint  against  them,  as  more  fully  may  appear  by  their  testimony 
left  in  writing,  which  was  publickly  read  the  next  Lord's  day  after  their 
departure. 

•'  The  council  having  adjourned  till  the  nineteenth  of  April  following,  we  en- 
deavoured in  the  mean  time  to  see  what  composition  we  could  bring  our  breth- 
ren to,  and  accordingly  by  publick  and  private  agitations  we  laboured  to  reduce 
our  brethren  to  a  right  and  sober  mind,  that  our  contentions  might  cease,  and 
they  might  be  brought  to  a  right  understanding  of  the  congregational  way  as  it 
was  commonly  practised  by  the  churches  according  to  the  direction  of  the 
council,  which,  if  our  brethren  had  consented  to,  there  might  have  been  hopes 
to  have  proceeded  peaceably,  but  instead  of  any  composition  with  us  there  ap- 
pears farther  ground  of  distraction,  as  may  be  seen  by  their  paper  disorderly 
published  in  the  congregation,  the  copy  whereof  stands  in  record  in  the  court. 

'  The  council  returning  according  to  their  adjournment  found  as  little  accept- 
ance by  our  brethren  as  formerly,  who  though  they  made  their  appearance,  yet 
it  was  with  such  a  spirit  and  carriage,  as  did  ill  befit  them  before  such  a  rever- 
end assembly,  nor  would  they  comply  to  do  any  thing  till  the  council  agreeing 
to  hear  them*  as  friends  and  not  as  a  council  instead  of  answering  the  allegations 
first  or  last  objected  against  them  (which  in  reason  they  ought  to  have  done  if 
they  could  have  cleared  themselves)  they  brought  in  such  exceptions  as  they 
could  against  Mr.  Parker  their  pastor,  all  which  we  fully  heard  and  answered, 
nor  was  there  any  thing  (of  twenty-five  articles)  of  moment  alleged  or  proved 
against  Mr.  Parker,  their  pastor,  who  was  sufficiently  vindicated  by  the  council, 
but  sufficient  on  this  point  to  show  what  spirit  tney  were  of. 

1  On  the  last  day  of  their  setting,  about  sunset  Mr.  Woodman  with  several 
others  with  him  came  into  the  council,  speaking  to  this  purpose  (Mr.  W.  affirm- 
ing that  he  was  appointed  to  speak  in  the  name  of  the  brethren,  and  called  for 
witness  to  attest  it)  that  now  they  were  convinced  by  the  word  of  God  that  they 
had  acted  irregularly  and  came  there  to  acknowledge  their  offences,  which 
accordingly  they  did  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  hearers,  sundry  of  them, 
speaking  to  the  same  purpose  that  they  had  done  ill.  The  council  seeing  such 
a  compliance  which  in  all  the  former  part  they  saw  so  little  ground  to  expect, 
readily  embraced  the  appearance  of  such  a  temper,  and  more  willing  to  bring 
things  to  a  full  agreement,  they  left  off  what  they  intended  as  a  council  and 
fell  upon  the  consideration  of  some  articles  of  accommodation  whereby  both 
parties  for  the  future  might  act  peaceably,  which  articles  were  agreed  unto  by 
Mr.  Woodman  and  many  of  his  party  there  present  who  also  promised  their 
endeavours  to  bring  the  rest  to  a  compliance  with  them. 

1  Mr.  Woodman  notwithstanding  such  an  appearance  of  a  cordial  agreement, 
yet  refuses  the  communion  of  the  church  from  that  day,  and  within  a  little 
while  finds  occasion  to  make  as  much  disturbance  as  ever.  We  could  scarcely 
have  any  publick  occasions  (as  for  discipline  of  members  and  so  forth)  but  there 
was  some  publick  opposition  from  some  or  another,  and  nothing  could  be 
managed  with  peace,  though  (as  we  suppose)  there  was  never  any  just  cause 
of  disturbance. 

'  Sundry  private  agitations  there  were,  wherein  propositions  were  made  by  them 
lending  to  a  farther  ground  of  difference  than  any  settlement.  Some  things  [were 


94  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

so  stated]  that  Mr.  Parker  professed  he  could  not  in  conscience  agree  to  them, 
yet  Mr.  Woodman  threatened  him  that  he  would  bring  him  before  authority, 
before  the  highest  judicature  of  the  country,  and  again  revive  the  twenty-five 
articles,  which  were  brought  before  the  council,  which  they  had  the  hearing  of 
and  acquitted  Mr.  Parker. 

'  After  many  debates,  and  little  likelihood  and  appearance  of  agreement, 
there  still  continuing  great  murmurings  and  private  surmises  cast  up  and  down 
to  Mr.  Parker's  prejudice  through  false  suggestions,  Mr.  Parker  to  testify  what 
things  he  might,  warns  a  publick  church  meeting,  which  convened  December 
eighth,  when  by  reason  of  the  tumultuous  carriage  of  things  there  was  little 
likelihood  of  bringing  any  thing  to  a  fair  issue.  Omitting  many  unworthy  and 
disorderly  carriages  exceeding  unsuitable  to  the  solemnity  that  "ought  to  be  in 
God's  presence,  towards  the  end  of  the  meeting  Mr.  Woodman  was  charged  by 
one  of  the  brethren  for  publick  offences,  one  in  almost  totally  absenting  himself 
from  the  publick  worship  on  the  Lord's  days,  though  it  was  known  sufficiently  that 
he  was  able  enough  to  attend  on  other  occasions,  therefore  abstaining  from  the 
communion  of  the  church.  He  instead  of  answering  for  these  offences  pub- 
lickly  professed  he  is  offended  with  Mr.  Parker  for  some  miscarriages,  and 
desires  the  church  to  appoint  a  meeting  to  hear  him.  Mr.  Parker  bids  him. 
produce  his  charges,  and  he  was  ready  there  to  answer  them  before  the  church^ 
but  this  Mr.  Woodman  refused  to  do. 

1  Not  long  after  he"  comes  accompanied  with  two  brethren,  and  tells  Mr. 
Parker  he  comes  with  two  others  to  deal  with  him  according  to  the  rule  in  order 
to  bring  him  to  the  church,  if  he  refused  to  hear  him. 

1  Mr.  Parker  replied  to  him  that  his  accusations  being  only  such  points 
wherein  they  differed  in  their  opinions  it  was  not  reasonable  to  think  they  were 
meet  judges,  or  that  he  was  likely  to  satisfy  them.  But  if  Mr.  Woodman  would 
choose  three  or  four  elders,  whom  he  would,  of  the  neighbouring  churches,  he 
was  ready  to  answer  before  them  whatsoever  they  could  allege  against  him,  and 
besides  that  himself  standing  charged  with  several  scandals,  he  was  not  a  meet 
person  to  come  to  deal  with  him  in  such  a  manner  till  he  had  answered  for  his 
own  offences.  Mr.  Woodman  professed  he  would  never  call  in  the  help  of  any 
elders  as  long  as  he  lived,  but  if  Mr.  Parker  refused  to  hear  him  he  would  bring 
it  to  the  church  in  order  to  depose  him,  and  then  they  would  desire  the  advice 
of  other  churches  what  they  were  to  do  in  point  of  farther  censure,  and  this  was 
the  issue  of  that  meeting. 

1  Shortly  after  (under  the  notion  of  a  fast,  though  no  such  things  were 
observed)  most  of  the  opposite 'brethren  convened,  but  (as  we  are  informed) 
the  substance  of  their  agitation  was  how  to  prosecute  their  design  against  Mr. 
Parker,  which  was  ordered  to  be  done  the  next  sabbath  day,  which  Mr.  Wood- 
man accordingly  though  irregularly  set  on  foot.  There  they  (though  not  the 
major  part  by  several  persons)  voted  a  church  meeting  though  Mr.  Parker  just 
before  warned  a  meeting  for  the  whole  church.  Mr.  Parker  warned  his  at  one 
of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon,  they  anticipated  him  by  designing  theirs  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  same  day.  Mr.  Parker  desiring  to  prevent  their 
irregular  motions,  on^  the  lecture  day  being  Wednesday  (the  meeting  being 
warned  to  be  on  the  Monday  following)  publickly  appoints  another  meeting  two 
days  after  namely,  the  Friday  before  the  meeting  formerly  warned,  and  withal 
order  was  taken  that  four  of  the  brethren  should  have  notice  that  they  were  then 
to  appear  to  answer  what  should  be  alleged  against  them  for  the  irregularities 
of  the  last  sabbath  and  other  things.  The  persons  were  Mr.  Woodman, 
Archelaus  Woodman  William  Titcomb  and  William  Pilsbury.  The  church 
appeared  at  the  time,  and  the  persons  warned,  but  instead  of  answering,  they 
fell  to  contradicting  their  pastor,  endeavouring  what  they  could  that  their 
charges,  which  were  in  writing,  might  not  be  read  or  heard.  But  when  the 
resolution  was  they  should  be'read.  instead  of  hearkening  to  them,  whereby 
they  might  understand  what  they  were  charged  with,  that  they  might  give 
satisfaction  they  raised  an  hubbub,  knocking,  stamping,  hemming,  gaping,  to 
drown  the  reading.  Afterwards  being  demanded  whether  they  would  answer 
to  their  charges,  they  all  of  them  (uncivilly  enough)  refused  so  to  do.  Mr. 
Parker  finding  little  good  to  be  done;  but  much  dishonor  to  God,  dissolved  the 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  95 

meeting,  and  seeing  all  our  endeavours  were  in  vain,  on  the  sabbath  day  follow- 
ing dissolved  the  meeting  formerly  warned  also.  Yet  our  brethren  kept  their 
motion,  and  though  they  fell  short  of  the  major  part,  yet  in  the  name  of  the 
church  they  sent  to  Mr.  Parker,  desiring  him  to  come  to  answer  to  the  church, 
what  Mr.  Woodman  had  against  him.  Mr.  Parker,  testifying,  their  irregularities 
refuses  to  attend  them.  They  in  the  meeting  house  having  chosen  their  mod- 
erator and  so  forth,  sit  formally  as  a  church.  Here  Mr.  Woodman's  complaints 
to  the  number  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  he  exhibits  and  reads  against  Mr.  Parker  and 
also  twenty-five  more,  which  formerly  he  had  presented  to  the  council,  who 
found  little  cause  to  blame  Mr.  Parker,  but  saw  sufficiently  what  temper  they 
were  of,  to  rake  up  what  they  could  for  thirty  years,  yet  had  not  any  thing  of 
value  to  fasten  on  him.  Some  of  the  brethren  there  present  undertook  (though 
not  by  Mr.  Parker's  motion)  if  they  might  have  liberty  presently  to  answer  them. 
A  fair  promise  they  had  that  they  should  have  liberty,  but  could  get  no  perform- 
ance of  it  either  at  that  or  the  next  meeting. 

'  The  first  meeting  then  adjourned  to  a  second,  the  second  to  a  third  and  the 
third  to  a  fourth.  Mr.  Parker  and  others  frequently  desired  them  that  they 
would  agree  to  call  a  lawful  and  regular  council  to  help  settle  our  distractions, 
but  they  resolving  to  go  on  in  their  own  way  refused  all  such  motions.  It  is 
impossible  to  mention  all  particulars,  nor  is  it  to  be  thought  how  many  dis- 
courses have  been  to  bring  them  to  a  right  understanding,  and  it  hath  been  past 
our  skill  by  any  thing  we  could  do  (without  injuring  truth  and  conscience)  to 
find  any  way  to  reclaim  them.  We  have  borne  their  contradictions  with 
patience.  Frequently,  as  we  had  opportunity  we  debated  with  them.  The 
platform  of  discipline,' which  they  agreed  should  be  their  rule,  proves  nothing 
to  them,  unless  they  may  be  the  judges  and  interpreters  of  it.  We  supposed 
(unless  they  deluded  the  council)  that  they  had  ingenuously  acknowledged 
their  irregularities,  yet  are  more  deeply  fallen  into  them  than  before.  The 
testimony  of  a  council  of  nine  churches  (which  we  called  and  maintained  at 
our  own  charge,  and  which  they  contributed  nothing  to,  but  contempt  and  con- 
tradiction to  linger  out  the  time)  is  despised  by  them  and  counted  as  an  empty 
paper.  The  received  and  approved  practice  of  all  the  churches  in  the  country 
is  not  regarded  by  them.  So  that  we  are  at  a  stand  and  could  not  imagine  what 
farther  course  to  take,  [with  them]  who  will  be  content  with  nothing  but  their 
own  will,  to  the  subduing  of  all  to  their  humours  and  the  ruin  of  the  church. 

•  In  the  issue  it  comes  to  this,  that  their  designs  bring  forth  a  monstrous  birth. 
The  members  cut  off  the  head.  Without  the  advice  of  any  church  or  churches, 
without  any  shew  of  any  just  ground  and  reason  (but  what  their  own  enraged 
fancies  and  violent  passions  suggest)  they  take  upon  them,  (and  this  by  a  lesser 
part  of  the  church  present,  and  some  of  them  dissenting,  the  brethren  that  were 
not  of  their  persuasion,  were  desired  to  withdraw,)  to  depose  the  pastor,  to  choose 
two  ruling  elders,  imperiously  enough  imposing  them  on  their  pastor  and 
brethren,  were  as  fit  to  be  respected  as  others.  Whereupon  at  last  for  our  own 
defence,  for  upholding  the  ordinances  of  God  among  us.  when  we  find  they 
despise  councils,  will  not  subject  themselves  to  church  dealing,  or  by  combina- 
tion will  prevent  it,  and  would  rob  us  of  our  sacred  enjoyments,  prostituting  all 
to  their  confusions,  being  enforced  to  it,  we  saw  no  remedy  but  according  to  the 
rule  of  the  scripture  to  withdraw  from  them  that  cause  divisions,  and  walk 
inordinately,  as  is  more  fully  expressed  in  our  paper,  and  publickly  communi- 
cated to  them  when  they  were  assembled  together  March  twenty-third,  1671.' 

The  above  was  written  by  JOHN  WOODBRIDGE. 

The  next  paper,  is  an  answer  to  the  foregoing,  and  is  entitled  a 
*  defence  of  the  persons  accused/ 

<  To  the  honored  court  now  sitting  at  Ipswich  we  humbly  present  these  lines 
in  way  of  apology  to  declare  the  grounds  of  our  late  actings  as  a  church  to  be 
regular,  both  by  our  ecclesiastical  liberties,  secondly  by  our  late  covenant  and 
thirdly  correspondent  to  scripture  rule  and  example. 


96  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

'April  eighteenth,  1671. 

1  First,  that  a  church  hath  liberty  to  proceed  against  an  elder,  or  elders,  not 
only  to  an  act  of  suspension,  but  also  to  expulsion  upon  due  cause.  It  is  with- 
out controversy  and  clear  as  in  law  book  page  twenty-five,  section  five,  every 
church  hath  also  free  liberty  of  admission,  recommendation,  dismission,  ex- 
pulsion or  deposal,  of  their  officers  and  members  upon  due  cause  with  free  ex- 
ercise of  the  discipline  and  censures  of  Christ  according  to  the  rules  of  the 
word.  Second,  by  our  late  covenant  contained  under  five  articles. 

1  The  first  is  that  the  platform  of  discipline  shall  be  a  rule  for  practice  in  the 
church  of  Newbury  in  all  our  administrations,  which  saith  that  it  is  a  preroga- 
tive that  Christ  hath  given  to  the  brotherhood.  Chapter  ten,  sections  five,  six, 
seven.  Chapter  five,  section  two.  Chapter  eight,  section  seven. 

'  Second,  where  it  is  said  chapter  tenth,  other  churches  directing  thereunto 
where  they  may  be  had,  we  answer  first,  that  advice  is  not  laid  down  in  the 
platform  as  of  necessity  to  be  a  rule,  but  where  as  they  may  be  had.  Second, 
it  relates  not  to  the  suspension  of  elders,  but  to  the  deposal  of  them.  Third,  we 
have  earnestly  called  upon  two  churches  to  have  their  advice,  but  one  of  them 
refused  to  come,  the  other  that  did  come  refused  to  give  their  advice  to  the  case 
we  had  in  hand.  Fourth,  we  then  sent  three  questions  to  the  church  of  Salis- 
bury, for  their  resolution,  but  they  gave  us  no  answer.  Then  we  were  forced  to 
take  liberty  as  God  hath  given  us  to  proceed  ourselves  as  the  rule  of  the  word 
doth  lead  us.  Matthew  18:  17.  Colossians  4:  17.  Romans  16:  17.  Platform 
chapter  ten,  sections  five,  six,  seven.  Chapter  five,  section  two.  Chapter  eight, 
section  seven.  Law  book  page  twenty-five,  section  five. 

1  Third,  where  a  church  hath  liberty  not  only  to  the  suspending,  but  also  to 
the  expulsion  and  deposal,  of  their  officers  upon  due  cause,  as  is  proved  before, 
for  the  lesser  is  included  in  the  greater,  then  also  to  appoint  a  church  meeting 
to  examine  whether  be  due  cause,  although  the  elder  offending  doth  not  consent 
thereunto,  for  we  humbly  conceive  that  no  offender  is  to  be  active  in  his  own 
censure,  but  passive  under  which  he  is  subject.  The  contrary  seemeth  to  us  to 
be  contrary  to  law  and  reason. 

1  Fourth,  the  church  according  to  rule  may  deal  with  an  officer,  as  is  proved 
already,  then  a  brother  that  is  offended  with  an  officer  may  deal  with  him  ac- 
cording to  rule  as  Matthew  16:  17.  Platform  chapter  ten,  section  five,  six, 
seven,  chapter  eight,  section  seven,  where  it  is  said  to  be  a  power  and  preroga- 
tive given  to  a  brother  to  deal  with  any  brother,  with  whom  he  is  offended,  and 
in  case  he  hear  him  not,  to  tell  it  to  the  church.  ' 

1  Fifth,  if  it  be  the  duty  of  a  brother  offended  after  private  means  used,  and  he 
is  not  satisfied,  to  tell  it  to  the  church,  then  it  is  the  duty  of  the  church  to  hear 
that  brother's  complaint,  and  get  their  judgment  upon  it  in  obedience  to  the 
rule  of  Christ  Matthew  18:17.  1  Corinthians,  verse  4. 

1  Sixth,  if  this  brother  offended  in  a  lawful  publick  meeting  upon  the  Lord's 
day,  doth  speak  to  the  whole  church  to  stay  and  hear  him  a  few  words  of  com- 
plaint against  a  brother,  with  whom  he  is  offended,  and  some  wilfully  go  away 
and  do  not  their  duty,  but  by  neglect  thereof  lose  the  power  and  privilege  of 
judgment  in  what  was  presented  to  the  church,  their  refusing  their  duty  is  not 
an  obstruction  to  the  major  part  of  the  church,  that  doth  stay  to  do  their  duty,  as 
they  are  obliged  by  the  rule  Matthew  18  :  17. 

'  Seventh,  Mr.  Parker,  Mr.  Woodbridge  and  the  brethren  with  him  which  are 
forty-five  have  made  a  solemn  written  explicit  covenant  by  the  advice  of  the 
messengers  of  nine  churches,  who  as  witnesses  have  subscribed  it  by  the  mod- 
erator and  scribe,  that  those  articles  then  agreed  on  should  be  the  rule  for  prac- 
tice in  the  church  of  Newbury  in  all  their  administrations.  The  which  cove- 
nant Mr.  Parker  did  refuse  to  put  to  the  vote  of  the  church,  giving  the  reason 
that  then  his  party  would  be  engaged  to  practice  it,  although  himself  had  cove- 
nanted that  it  should  be  the  rule  for  practice  in  the  church  in  all  our  adminis- 
trations. 

'  Eighth,  we  do  conceive  that  those  brethren  that  consent  not  unto  the  cove- 
nant made  by  the  pastor  and  the  major  part  of  the  brethren,  are  not  in  a  capac- 
ity to  act  in  matters  of  discipline,  in  which  we  shall  refer  ourselves  to  the 
advice  of  better  understanding,  the  reason  of  our  referring  is  because  our  church 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  97 

covenant  is  lost  or  burned,  and  the  contents  not  known,  and  so  under  no  church, 
covenant  until  the  last  covenant  made  whereby  as  a  congregational  church  we 
have  no  power  one  over  another,  but  by  virtue  of  this  lately  made,  as  is  evident 
by  our  rule  agreed  upon,  chapter  4.  section  1,  3,  platform. 

'  •  Ninth,  it  hath  been  the  custom  of  this  church  from  the  beginning  not  to 
take  notice  of  the  number  of  brethren,  that  come  to  church  meeting,  but  in  case 
the  meeting  is  lawfully  warned,  if  but  half  the  church  come  together,  to  carry 
and  end  all  things  by  the  major  part  of  them  that  did  come,  be  they  few  or 
many,  and  as  far  as  we  know  this  is  the  practice  of  all  churches,  but  notwith- 
standing we  have  acted  by  a  major  part  of  the  brethren. 

'  Tenth,  we  would  put  it  to  your  serious  considerations,  whether  if  none  but 
the  brethren,  that  are  in  covenant  with  Mr.  Parker,  have  been  desired  to  stay, 
seeing  the  rest  own  not  the  covenant  by  any  publick  manifestation,  our  meeting 
had  not  been  an  authentic  church  meeting,  and  what  we  had  acted  by  the  major 
part  of  them  be  authentic,  yet  the  whole  church  was  desired  to  stay  without 
any  distinction,  therefore  no  appearance  of  exception  on  that  account 

'  Eleventh,  we  conceive  that  every  church  have  an  ecclesiastical  judiciary 
amongst  themselves  to  judge  of,  and  give  sentence  upon,  any  offences,  or  upon 
any  persons  that  are  of  their  combination  or  society,  allowed  to  every  particular 
church  by  Christ,  Matthew  18,  17,  confirmed  by  our  laws,  page  25,  section  5, 
by  ah  agreement  or  covenant  as  in  platform,  chapter  10,  sections  5.  6,  7.  This 
jurisdiction  or  judicatory  being  distinct  from  the  civil  power,  except  we  break 
their  laws,  or  go  contrary  to  the  law  of  God  in  fundamentals  of  faith  and 
discipline. 

'  Twelfth,  lastly  we  would  humbly  desire  you  to  consider  that  the  major  part 
have  the  concluding  power  in  all  the  government  and  orders  of  this  common- 
wealth, in  our  highest  court,  in  the  court  of  assistants,  in  the  county  courts,  in 
commissioners'  courts,  among  freemen  in  their  meetings,  by  towns  in  their 
meetings,  by  military  commissioners  in  their  societies,  so  in  choice  of  all  offi- 
cers from  the  governor  to  the  constable  and  way  wardens.  Also  in  synods,  in 
councils,  in  all  churches  in  New  England  that  we  know,  and  how  it  is  come  to 
pass  that  the  poor  church  of  Newbury  among  the  thousands  in  New  England 
should  be  opposed  in  their  lawful  liberties  we  cannot  but  a  little  wonder.  And 
that  it  should  be  commended  to  this  court's  consideration  whether  we  are  not  a 
people  that  go  about  to  set  up  a  new  government,  because  we  act  or  allow  the 
act  of  the  major  part  of  the  church  to  be  authentic,  to  us  seemeth  to  be  an 
objection  new  coined  by  such  as  might  as  well  say  a  church  hath  no  power  or 
privilege  whether  they  be  major,  or  minor,  or  the  whole.  • 

WILLIAM  TITCOJIB. 

CALEB  MOODY. 

SAMUEL  PLUMER. 

STEPHEN    GRENLEFE. 

RrcwARD  BARTLET.' 

In  addition  to  the  preceding  extracts,  there  is  on  file  a  large  num- 
ber of  testimonies,  taken  before  the  court  in  proof  of  the  statements 
made  by  the  friends  of  Mr.  Parker,  in  their  complaint  to  the  court 
against  Mr.  Woodman  and  his  friends.  A  few  of  these  are  here 
given  as  a  specimen. 

TESTIMONY  or  ABIEL  SOMERBY.  'December  19,  1670.  In  the  school  house 
Mr.  Woodman  expressing  himself  highly,  Mr.  Parker  said,  soft,  sir,  your  ways 
are  ungodly,  you  neglect  publick  worship  and  withdraw  from  the  communion  of 
the  church.  Mr.  Woodman  said  Mr.  P.'s  ways  were  ungodly.  After  further 
discourse  Mr.  Woodman  began  to  call  for  witness  of  what  Mr."  Parker  said.  I 
said,  Mr.  Woodman,  you  said  Mr  P.'s  ways  were  ungodly,  and  therefore  it  is 
but  quid  pro  quo.  Who  is  that  that  saith  so,  Biel  ?  I  answered,  you,  sir.  He 
broke  forth  with  a  strange  expression,  the  Lord  help  us,  or  the  Lord  have  mercy 
on  us.  A  man  had  need  to  have  a  care  what  he  speaks  before  such  men. 

Sworn  to  March  twenty-eighth.  1671. 

13 


98  HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY. 

1 1  Abiel  Somerby  was  present  when  my  father  in  law  Richard  Knight  asked 
Mr.  Woodman  for  the  church  book.  Mr.  Woodman  said  that  he  would  not  let 
it  go  till  the  church  sends  for  it.  My  father  Knight  said  that  Mr.  Parker  and 
the  church  had  voted  that  he  should  come  to  fetch  it.  Mr.  Woodman  answered 
I  do  utterly  disown  such  a  church.  My  father  Knight  said,  is  this  your  answer  ? 
Mr.  Woodman  said  yes,  that  is  my  answer,  only  I  think  you  do  very  sinfully  to 
hold  with  such  a  church.  Sworn  to  April  eighteenth,  1671. 

1  Henry  Jaques  affirmeth  that  on  January  twenty-ninth,  1671  when  Mr.  Wood- 
man desired  the  church  to  stay,  that  he  stayed,  but  it  was  not  to  joyne  with 
them,  and  speaking  to  Mr.  Woodman  he  said  he  thought  it  unreasonable  that 
Mr.  Woodman  should  desire  a  church  meeting  to  deal  with  Mr.  Parker,  when 
there  was  more  need  for  him  to  be  dealt  withal  for  his  offences.  He  also  affirm- 
eth that  he  heard  Mr.  Woodman  publickly  affirm  that  Mr.  Parker  had  broken 
three  covenants  already,  and  that  no  covenant  would  stand  before  him. 

Sworn  to,  April  eighteenth,  1671. 

1  Deposition  of  Tristram  Coffin  and  John  Knight. 

I  On  the  sixth  of  February  in  a  publick  meeting  in  the  meeting  house  Mr. 
Woodman  affirmed  that  when  he  went  to  deal  with  Mr.  Parker  according  to 
rule  and  two  brethren  with  him,  that  Mr.  Parker  refused  to  hear  him,  and  told 
him  his  ways  were  ungodly.     Tristram  Coffin  said,  sir,  you  delude  the  people 
for  those  words  were  spoken  the  nineteenth  of  December  on  another  account 
and  it  was  that  day  fortnight  that  Mr.  Woodman  with  others  went  to  deal  with 
Mr.  Parker.  Sworn  March  twenty-eighth  1671.' 

As  Mr.  Woodman's  party  claimed  to  be  THE  church,  and  to  have 
a  majority  of  the  members,  it  was  deemed  of  consequence  on  one 
side  to  establish  that  claim,  and  on  the  other  to  prove  the  contrary. 

*  There  are,'  says  Mr.  John  Woodbridge,  ( according  to  just  computation, 
reckoned  as  members  of  our  church,  if  Mr.  Dummer  be  left  out,  seventy-nine, 
if  he  be  reckoned,  eighty.  Our  brethren  of  the  number  of  eighty  lay  claim  to 
forty-one  to  be  with  them,  if  Mr.  Dummer  be  reckoned  into  them. 

Steven  Swett,  one  of  their  number  is  a  professed  anabaptist  and  hath  refused 
communion  with  this  church  several  years.  Thirty-four  only  voted  with  them, 
.which  is  far  from  the  major  part  of  the  church.  This  being  the  foundation  of 
all  their  meetings  and  actings  as  a  church,  if  the  foundation  be  tottering,  all 
their  meetings  being  continued  by  adjournment  from  one  to  another,  the  errors 
of  the  foundation  must  needs  convey  irregularity  to  all  subsequent  motions.7 

'John  Knight  and  Tristram  Coffin  testify  that  it  was  a  minor  part  of  the 
church  that  voted  (to  sit)  for  appointing  a  meeting  to  hear  Mr.  Woodman's 
complaint  against  Mr.  Parker,  for  thirty-nine  have  not  joyned  with  them,  besides 
three  of  forty-one,  that  Mr.  Woodman  lays  claim  to  were  not  present,  namely, 
Mr.  Dummer,  John  Merrill,  John  Wells,  and  Mr.  Woodman  is  the  complainer, 
and  there  remains  but  thirty-seven.  Benjamin  Rolf  and  William  Moody  did 
not  vote,  and  Steven  Swett  ought  not  to  vote,  because  he  is  an  anabaptist  and 
hath  not  had  communion  with  this  church,  and  so  only  thirty-four  voted. 

I 1  Joseph  Hills  aged  sixty-nine  do  hereby  testify  that  on  the  day  of  the  church 
meeting  appointed  on  motion  of  Mr.  Woodman,  I  being  in  conference  with  Mr. 
W.  about  forbearing  all  proceeding  till  it  might  be  cleared  up  by  help  of  counsel 
or  conference,  whether  the  power  of  church  discipline  was  in  the  majority  or 
elsewhere,  Mr.  Woodman  said  that  Mr.  Parker  had  broken  covenant  with  the 
church  sundry  times  and  it  would  be  to  no  purpose  to  make  an  agreement  with 
Mr.  Parker.  Sworn  April  eighteenth  1671. 

1  The  deposition  of  Robert  Pike  aged  fifty-three  or  thereabouts,  being  desired 
to  give  my  testimony  concerning  Mr.  Richard  Dummer  about  his  being  a 
member  of  Newbury  church,  this  is  that  I  do  testify,  that  at  a  meeting  many 
years  ago;  as  I  remember  upon  a  sabbath  day,  there  was  some  thing  propounded 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  99 

concerning  Mr.  Dummer's  transmission  from  the  church  at  Roxbury  to  the 
church  in  Newbury,  which  seemed  to  good  acceptance  with  the  church, 
but  whether  it  was  by  dismission  or  recommendation  I  understand  not. 

ROBERT  PIKE.' 
'  The  meeting  was  in  the  open  ayr  under  a  tree.' 

After  hearing  all  the  testimony  in  the  case  the  court  came  to  the 
following  decision,  namely : 

1  Complaint  being  made  unto  this  court  against  Mr.  Woodman.  Mr.  Dummer, 
William  Titcomb  and  a  party  adhering  to  them  as  doth  appear  in  three  papers 
presented  by  Daniel  Pierce  and  Richard  Kent,  the  said  Woodman  and  divers 
others  complained  of,  were  summoned  at  the  sessions  of  this  court  in  March 
last,  where  the  several  complaints  and  charges  were  read  to  the  said  parties 
then  appearing,  and  their  answers  required  thereunto,  when  the  said  Mr.  Wood- 
man among  other  things  alleging  that  their  accusations  were  many  and  heavy, 
and  that  they  had  many  matters  to  charge  upon  Mr.  Parker  and  those  adhering 
to  him,  which  they  had  neither  time  nor  opportunity  on  the  sudden  to  prepare, 
the  court  not  willing  to  surprize  them  and  desiring  fully  to  understand  the 
whole  state  of  a  case  so  extraordinary  and  of  so  high  a  nature,  adjourned  to  the 
eighteenth  of  April,  allowing  them  copies  of  the  charges  exhibited  against 
them,  and  advising  them  to  prepare  their  objections  against  Mr.  Parker  and 
those  with  him,  and  to  acquaint  him  with  the  same  that  they  also  might  be  in 
readiness  to  make  their  defence  at  the  adjournment,  and  the  court  might  then 
clearly  understand  upon  hearing  the  whole  case  and  according  to  the  merit 
thereof  give  j  udgment.  The  court  meeting  at  the  day  aforesaid,  after  a  full 
hearing  it  did  appear  that  Mr.  Woodman,  Mr.  Dummer,  William  Titcomb  and 
others  adhering  to  them  (not  appearing  to  be  the  major  part  of  the  church  at 
Newbury,  although  the  major  part  of  such  as  met  together)  have  proceeded  to 
admonish  their  pastor,  Mr.  Parker,  and  to  suspend  him  from  the  exercise  of  his 
office,  as  appeareth  by  their  act  sent  unto  him  the  said  Mr  Parker  as  signed  by 
Mr.  Dummer  and  Richard  Thorlay. 

<  Second,  that  the  said  Mr.  Woodman  and  party  as  above  said  did  proceed  to 
elect  two  ruling  elders,  namely  Mr.  Woodman  himself  and  Mr.  Dummer,  ap- 
pointing a  day  for  their  ordination.  Third,  that  this  answer  was  passed  against 
their  pastor  upon  the  complaint  and  solicitation  of  Mr.  Woodman,  and  that  the 
said  Woodman  had  openly  published  several  falsehoods  to  animate  his  party 
(which  lay  under  some  discouragement  by  the  judgment  of  a  council  declared 
against  such  irregular  acting)  and  to  exasperate  them  against  Mr.  Parker,  who 
before  and  at  that  time  of  meeting,  wherein  they  suspended  him,  to  prevent  so 
great  an  evil  and  scandal,  did  advise  them  as  became  his  place,  and  offered  and 
intreated  them  to  joyne  with  him  to  call  a  council  to  hear  their  differences, 
engaging  himself  to  be  concluded  thereby,  which  was  not  attended  by  said 
Woodman  and  parties,  but  they  proceeded  to  act  as  abovesaid,  for  the  defence 
of  which  high  and  irregular  practices  unheard  of  in  this  country,  exceedingly 
scandalous  and  reproachful  to  the  way  of  the  churches  here  established, 
destructive  to  the  peace  and  order  of  the  gospel,  threatening  the  ruin  and  deso- 
lation of  all  order.  They  have  alleged  nothing  but  that  they  were  the  major 
part  of  the  church,  not  charging,  much  less  proving,  any  offence  given  by  their 
reverend  pastor,  Mr.  Parker,  who  for  any  thing,  that  doth  appear  is  altogether 
innocent,  though  so  exceedingly  scandalized,  reproached  and  wronged  by  Mr. 
Woodman  his  party.  All  which  clearly  and  undeniably  appearing  by  the 
papers,  pleas  and  evidences  that  are  on  file,  the  court  as  in  duty  bound  being 
sensible  of  the  dishonor  to  the  name  of  God,  to  religion  here  established  and 
also  the  disturbance  of  the  peace,  the  scandalizing  of  a  venerable,  loving  and 
pious  pastor  and  an  aged  father  can  not  but  judge  the  said  Woodman,  Mr. 
Dummer,  and  William  Titcomb,  the  parties  joyning  with  them,  guilty  of  very 
great  misdemeanors,  though  in  different  degrees,  deserving  severe  punishment, 
yet  beins  willing  to  exercise  as  much  lenity  as  the  case  is  capable  of,  or  may 
stand  with  a  meet  testimony  against  such  an  offence,  which  we  are  bound  in 


100  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

duty  to  God  and  our  consciences  to  bear  testimony  against,  do  hereby  adjudge 
the  said  Mr.  Woodman  and  party  adhering  to  him  to  pay  the  several  fines  under 
written  with  the  charge  of  the  witnesses  and  fees  of  court,  and  that  they  all 
stand  committed  till  the  said  fines,  charges  and  fees  be  satisfied  and  paid.' 

The  sentence  of  the  court  was  passed  May  twenty-ninth,  1671. 
The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  Mr.  Woodman's  party,  with 
the  amount  of  the  fines  affixed  to  their  names. 

1  Mr.  Edward  Woodman,  twenty  nobles.^  Mr.  Richard  Dummer,  Richard 
Thorlay,  Stephen  Greenleaf,  Richard  Bartlet  and  William  Titcomb  four  nobles 
each.  Francis  Plumer,  John  Emery  senior,  John  Emery  junior,  John  Merrill 
and  Thomas  Browne  a  mark  each.f  Nicholas  Batt,  Anthony  Morse  senior, 
Abraham  Toppan,  William  Sawyer,  Edward  Woodman  junior,  William  Pils- 
bmy,  Caleb  Moody,  John  Poor  senior,  John  Poor  junior,  John  Webster,  John 
Bartlet  senior,  John  Bartlet  junior,  Joseph  Plumer,  Edward  Richardson,  Thom- 
as Hale  junior,  Edmund  Moores,  Benjamin  Lowle,  Job  Pilsbury,  John  Wells, 
William  Ilsley,  James  Ordway,  Francis  Thorla,  Abraham  Merrill,  John  Bailey7 
Benjamin  Rolf,  Steven  Swett,  and  Samuel  Plumer,  a  noble  each.'  Robert 
Coker  and  William  Moody  were  not  fined.  The  whole  number  is  forty-one.' 

The  following  are  the  names  of  Mr.  Parker's  party. 

Mr.  JOHN  WOODBRTDGE.  Captain  WILLIAM  GERKISH. 

Captain  PAUL  WHITE.  Mr.  PERCIVAL  LOWLE. 

Mr.  HENRY  SEWALL.  JAMES  KENT. 

RICHARD  KENT.  ROBERT  LONG. 

JOHN  KENT.  RICHARD  PETTINGELL. 

HENRY  SHORT.  WILLIAM  MORSE. 

DANIEL  PIERCE,  senior.  JONATHAN  MORSE. 

RICHARD  KNIGHT.  JOHN  DAVIS. 

ANTHONY  SHORT.  JOHN  SMITH. 

RICHARD  KNIGHT.  JAMES  SMITH. 

JOHN   KELLY.  JAMES  JACKMAN. 

JOHN  KNIGHT.  JOSEPH  MUZZEY. 

HENRY  JAQUES.  RICHARD  DOLE. 

THOMAS  HALE,  senior.  ANTHONY  SOMERBY. 

ROBERT  ADAMS.  NATHANIEL   CLARKE. 

ABEL  HUSE.  TRISTRAM   COFFIN. 

GEORGE  LITTLE.  NICHOLAS  NOYES,  senior. 

SAMUEL  MOODY.  THOMAS  TURVILL. 

WILLIAM   CHANDLER.  NICHOLAS  WALLINGTON. 

Mr.  NICHOLAS  NOYES.  Mr.  JOHN   GERRISH. 
NICHOLAS  WALLINGTON.  Whole  number  41 . 

%The  foregoing  completes  the  transcript  from  the  county  court 
records  of  all  that  is  deemed  necessary  to  a  right  understanding  of  the 
case,  which  is  in  some  respects  peculiar,  and  must  be  deeply  interest- 
ing, not  only  to  the  descendants  of  those  engaged  in  such  a  contest, 
but  to  all  who  wish  to  ascertain  the  feelings,  the  views,  opinions,  and 
principles,  of  the  early  settlers  of  New  England,  respecting  that 
vital  question  in  church  and  state :  in  whose  hands  is  the  power  of 
government  rightly  lodged  ?  Ought  or  ought  not  the  majority  to 
govern  ?  On  this  question,  which  agitated  the  church  in  Newbury 
for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  I  make  no  comments,  and 

*  A  noble  is  six  shillings  and  eight-pence, 
t  A  mark  is  thirteen  shillings  and  fourpence. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  101 

offer  no  opinion.  The  facts  are  before  the  reader.  He  must  draw 
his  own  conclusions.  Should  he,  however,  suppose,  that  the  action 
of  the  county  court  was  a  final  settlement  of  the  whole  affair,  and 
that  peace  and  quietness  was  once  more  re-established  in  the  church 
and  among  the  people  of  Newbury,  he  will  find  his  supposition 
erroneous,  as  the  following  extracts  from  the  general  court  records 
will  show. 

1  May  31,  1671.  The  present  distressed  and  labouring  state  of  the  church  of 
Christ  at  Newbury  being  represented  to  this  court,  whereof  they  are  deeply 
sensible,  this  court  doth  judge  it  expedient  that  some  help  be  sent  unto  the  said 
church  in  a  way  of  communion  of  churches,  and  therefore  do  order  and  appoint 
that  the  secretary  doe  in  the  name  of  this  court  write  unto  these  several  churches 
of  Charlestown,  the  first  church  of  Boston,  the  church  of  Dedham,  the  church 
of  Roxbury,  desiring  them  to  send  their  elders  and  messengers  to  the  church  of 
Newbury,  that  they  may  enquire  into  their  state  and  offer  them  their  best  advice, 
according  to  the  word  of  God,  for  their  composure  and  healing  and  to  make  a 
return  of  what  they  shall  judge  and  doe  in  this  matter,  unto  this  court  or  the 
council  of  this  commonwealth,  and  that  the  secretary  doe  signify  this  order  unto 
the  reverend  Mr.  Thomas  Parker  to  be  communicated  unto  both  parties  there  at 
variance  in  that  church  of  Newbury ;  and  that  Mr.  William  Stoughton  be 
desired  to  join  with  the  secretary  in  writing  their  letters.7 

On  June  twenty-third,  1671,  Mr.  William  Stoughton  addressed 
the  following  letter  to  the  reverend  Thomas  Parker. 

1  The  present  state  of  your  church  being  so  uncomfortable  and  so  publickly 
known,  it  hath  occasioned  many  and  sad  thoughts  of  heart  in  all  that  tenderly 
love  the  name  and  interest  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  seek  the  good  and 
welfare  of  these  churches  with  their  whole  hearts.  A  solemn  grief  it  is  that 
after  such  pains  and  labour  heretofore  taken  by  the  reverend  elders  and  messen- 
gers of  several  churches  that  were  with  you  and  some  hopes  of  a  good  success 
thereof,  yet  matters  in  conclusion  should  come  to  no  better  an  issue  than  what 
of  late  hath  fallen  out  amongst  you.  What  in  this  case  is  incumbent  on 
authority  to  doe  that  your  divisions  may  be  healed  and  the  scandal  of  them 
removed  halh  been  (though  under  some  straits  of  time)  a  serious  disquisition 
amongst  us.  You  may  please  therefore  to  understand  that  we  have  written  unto 
these  four  churches,  namely,  of  Boston,  Charlestown,  Roxbury  and  Dedham, 
exhorting  and  desiring  them  (according  to  the  known  and  approved  practice  of 
communion  of  churches  amongst  us)  joyntly  to  send  their  elders  and  otter  meet 
messengers  unto  you  that  they  may  in  such  a  way  of  God  take  knowledge  of 
your  present  case,  and  being  fully  informed  give  you  their  best  advice  an  coun- 
sel therein  as  the  rules  and  appointments  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  his  word 
shall  direct.  And  what  these  reverend  elders  and  messengers  shall  find  and  doe 
in  this  your  weighty  concern  they  are  requested  to  make  a  return  thereof  either  to 
the  next  general  court,  that  shall  be  held  or  to  the  council  of  this  commonwealth. 
The  messengers  of  the  churches  when  chosen  will  give  you  seasonable  notice 
of  the  time,  which  they  shall  have  agreed  on,  of  coming  to  you. 

1  And,  that  there  may  be  that  readynesse  and  preparednesse  in  you  all  to 
receive  their  coming  upon  so  solemn  an  errand,  as  you  ought  in  the  Lord,  we 
desire  and  expect  that  what  we  now  write  unto  you  may  beT  communicated  and 
read  unto  your  whole  church,  if  it  may  be  assembled  together,  or  at  least  unto 
both  the  parties  at  variance  therein  severally.  Now.  reverend  sir  and  dear 
brethren  we  expect  and  warn  you  all,  and  with  all  earnestness  call  on  you  that 
you  would  thoroughly  and  solemnly  as  in  the  sight  of  God  reflect  upon  your 
doleful  and  deplorable  condition,  considering  both  whence  such  distractions  and 
disorders  spring,  and  whereunto  they  tend,  none  being  gainers  by  them  but 
Satan  and  his  instruments,  whilst  in  the  mean  time  your  own  souls,  and  the  glory 


102  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

of  God  and  the  common  interest  of  these  churches  are  great  losers.  We  beseech 
you,  every  one,  to  be  jealous  of  and  judge  himself,  to  humble  yourselves 
greatly  before  the  Lord,  to  beg  that  pardon  of  God  and  reconciliation  with  him, 
without  which  there  can  never  be  any  healing  among  yourselves.  That  this  you 
may  do  and  that  there  may  be  a  sovereign  and  plentiful  effusion  of  grace,  love, 
peace,  and  a  sound  mind  whereby  you  may  be  in  every  respect  framed  unto  a 
thankful  entertainment  of  unfeigned  submission  to  such  counsels  of  peace  and 
healing,  as  may  be  in  the  way  prososed  given  in  and  pressed  upon  you,  is  the 
cordial  sincere  desire  of 

WILLIAM  STOUGHTON.' 

On  the  second  of  July,  the  first  church  in  Boston  chose  deputy 
governor  John  Leverett  and  five  other  messengers,  l  to  go  to  the 
church  a.t  Newbury,  to  hear  the  differences  that  be  there  to  be  a 
means  of  healing,  if  God  please.'^ 

The  council  assembled  at  Newbury  according  to  the  direction  of 
the  general  court,  but  at  what  precise  time  we  are  not  informed. 
The  result  of  their  labors  was  presented  to  the  court,  who  made  a 
report  thereon  at  the  May  session,  1672,  as  the  reader  will  see  in  its 
proper  place. 

From  the  records  of  the  first  church  in  Rowley,  the  following 
letters  are  extracted. 

'  Newbury,  sixteenth  of  February,  1671. 

1  To  the  church  of  Christ  in  Rowley  both  elder  and  brethren,  grace  and  peace 
be  with  you. 

t  Reverend  and  beloved  in  the  Lord, 

1  It  is  the  portion  that  the  God  of  all  wisdom  hath  allotted 
this  poor  church,  to  pass  over  the  greatest  part  of  her  time  in  this  wilderness 
in  great  divisions  and  contentions  which  cannot  but  occasion  much  perturbation 
of  spirit  among  ourselves,  and  many  thoughts  of  heart  in  our  sister  churches 
round  about  us,  that  we  above  all  others  should  thus  unquietly  pass  the  days  of 
our  pilgrimage  here,  having  no  other  time  but  the  present  moment  that  pass 
over  us,  which  may  be  called  ours,  and  the  voice  of  God  still  sounding  in  our 
ears  to  day  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice  then  harden  not  your  hearts.  And  we  being 
conscious  that  a  state  of  division  and  contention  in  the  church  of  Christ  is  an 
inlet  to  much  sin  and  evil  occurrences,  and  that  such  customs  are  not  to  be 
allowred  in  the  church  of  Christ,  and  yet  we  are  commanded  to  contend  for  the 
faith  once  given  to  the  saints  whereby  we  doe  confess  that  contentions  against 
truth  and  against  rule  are  only  forbidden  by  the  Lord.  We  therefore  considering 
the  aptness  that  is  in  men  to  think  well  of  their  own  judgments  and  actions, 
doe  think  it  expedient,  and  that,  which  doth  stand  with  the  mind  of  Christ,  and 
to  the  rule,  to  which  we  have  lately  agreed,  and  must  have  recourse  thereto  in 
things  wherein  we  differ,  to  call  upon  neighbouring  churches  for  help  and  advice. 
We  doe  therefore  earnestly  desire  that  you  will  send  us  the  messengers,  such  as 
be  most  capable  of  giving  us  advice  from  scripture,  or  from  rule  thereunto 
agreeing,  for  if  it  be  the  good  pleasure  of  the  Lord  we  would  once  have  an  end 
tjf  trouble  and  contention  in  his  way  and  according  to  his  will.  We  shall  call 
in  for  our  help  herein  at  this  time  only  our  next  two  neighbouring  churches, 
Salisbury  and  Rowley,  thereby  you  may  consider  what  number  may  be  most 
convenient  to  send.  The  time  we  desire  your  presence  is  the  last  day  of  Febru- 
ary being  Tuesday  seven  night  after  the  date  hereof  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  We  would  desire  you  to  repair  to  the  ordinary,  where  some  of  us 
shall  attend  to  receive  you.  Once  more  we  do  earnestly  desire  you  in  the  bowels 
of  Christ  Jesus  not  to  fail  our  expectations  for  our  condition  itself  doth  unfortu- 
nately call  for  help  and  advice,  in  a  case,  in  which  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
peace  of  this  church  is  soe  nearly  concerned  and  the  rule  we  are  agreed  upon 

*  Boston  first  church  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  103 

doth  direct  us  to  your  advice  as  yourselves  are  our  witness  ;  not  doubting  but 
by  your  advice  through  God's  presence  and  blessing  his  name  shall  have  glory 
and  ourselves  a  benefit.  And  that  it  might  soe  be  we  commend  you  to  his 
grace  and  direction,  and  rest  in  love  yours  to  serve  you  in  what  we  may. 

By  us  signed,  whose  names  are  underwritten  in  the 

name  of  the  brethren  of  the  church. 
ARCHELAUS  WOODMAN.        WILLIAM  TITCOMB. 
STEVEN  GRENLEFE.  CALEB  MOODY. 

RICHARD  BARTLET.  SAMUEL  PLUMER.' 

ANSWER. 

1  To  Mr.  Woodman  and  the  rest  of  our  beloved  brethren  with  him  at  Newbu- 
ry,  members  of  the  church  of  Christ  there,  grace  and  peace  be  with  you. 

1  Rowley,  February  20*A,  1671. 

*  Beloved  brethren, 

1  Your  letter,  (wherein  you  desire  of  this  church  of  Christ  at  Rowley 
that  we  would  send  messengers  to  give  advice  tending  to  the  healing  of  your 
long  and  uncomfortable  differences)  hath  been  read  before  them  the  nineteenth 
of  this  instant.  Their  answer  is  that  though  they  are  sensible  of  your  uncom- 
fortable condition  as  things  now  stand  with  you  and  are  willing  to  send  the  best 
help  God  hath  given  us,  yet  at  present  we  judge  it  not  seasonable  because  we 
are  informed  by  brother  Titcomb  your  messenger  to  us  and  by  others  that  you 
did  not  by  any  publick  act  agree  to  desire  your  reverend  pastor  and  the  brethren 
with  him  to  joyne  with  you  in  calling  a  council.  We  conceive  it  most  agreea- 
ble to  the  rule  the  fourteenth  of  Romans  seventeen  that  you  desire  his  concur- 
rence with  you  in  calling  a  council,  and  we  know  noe  instance  wherein  this 
method  has  not  been  attended  of  such  brethren  fc**********  as  have  at  any 
time  called  in  council  in  any  of  these  churches.  If  it  be  said  he  will  not  joyne 
in  calling  a  council  we  answer,  it  may  be  soe,  yet  your  way  is  then  the  clearer 
to  call  irThelp  without  him.  Thus  far  the  whole  church. 

{  Only  several  of  this  church  do  conceive  that  it  were  more  suitable  to  your 
affairs  if  your  church  call  in  some  more  help  than  what  you  mention  in  your 
letter,  three  at  least,  if  not  four  churches.  A  covenant  breaker  is  very  hardly 
set,  and 'if  nine  churches  could  hardly  be  instrumental  of  your  peace,  how  you 
think  two  should  set  you  at  rights  we  cannot  easily  imagine.  But  we  hope  if 
you  are  willing  to  call  in  four  or  five  churches  Mr.  Parker  and  the  brethren 
would  concur  with  you  therein,  whereas  if  you  only  mention  Salisbury  and 
Rowley  to  him,  we  doubt  whether  he  will  concur,  for  he  cannot  be  ignorant 
that  there  is  not  suitable  help  to  be  sure  of  at  Rowley  as  there  is  in  others  that 
you  might  call  in  help  from.  Besides  consider  that  word  the  eleventh  of  Prov- 
erbs fourteen  in  the  multitude  of  counsellors  there  is  safety.  When  are  many 
counsellors  needful  but  in  difficult  cases,  and  if  yours  are  not  such  we  cannot 
readily  think  of  any  that  are.  No  more  but  our  prayers  to  God  for  you  that  he 
would  grant  you  peace  by  all  means.  Soe  pray  your  loving  brethren, 

SAMUEL  PHILIPS, 
MAXIMILIAN  JEWETT. 
In  the  name  of  the  whole  church  at  Rowley.' 

1  Newbury,  March  17,  1671. 

1  The  church  of  Christ  which  is  at  Rowley  both  elder  and  brethren  grace  and 
peace  be  with  you  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

{ Reverend  and  dearly  beloved  in  the  Lord.  After  our  long  and  troublesome 
differences  in  the  church,  it  is  well  known  unto  yourselves  that  in  April  the 
twenty-second  last  by  the  help  and  advice  of  the  assembly  of  the  elders  and 
brethren  of  nine  churches  we  made  an  agreement  or  covenant  that  the  church  of 
Newbury  should  be  governed  by  a  rule  then  agreed  upon  in  all  the  administrations 
contained  in  five  articles.  Notwithstanding  our  troubles  being  still  continued 
and  lengthened  out  without  all  hope  of  remedy  in  that  estate  the  church  stood 


104  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

in  having  but  one  elder,  and  himself  so  contrary  to  the  church  with  whom  he 
hath  entered  into  the  late  covenant  or  agreement.  Insomuch  that  we  are  with- 
out all  orderly  proceedings  in  any  church  matters,  no  members  admitted,  noe 
censure  can  pass  on  offenders,  but  our  condition  attended  with  many  evil  occur- 
rences to  the  dishonor  of  God,  to  the  reproach  of  congregational  churches  and 
especially  to  this  church  as  not  being  capable  of  healing  our  distempers.  In 
consideration  whereof  a  brother  of  this  congregation  hath  lately  attempted  to 
deal  with  Mr.  Parker  as  concerning  the  cause  of  all  our  troubles  and  contentions 
have  proceeded  from  himself  but  Mr.  Parker  refused  to  hear  him  saying  that 
none  but  elders  had  to  doe  with  him,  whereupon  this  brother  made  this  com- 
plaint to  the  whole  church  one  Lord's  day  and  desired  the  church  to  appoint  a 
time  to  hear  him  in  his  complaints,  but  Mr.  Parker  forbad  the  brother  to  com- 
plain to  the  church  and  forbad  the  church  to  hear  him ;  notwithstanding  the 
church  did  stay  and  appointed  a  time  to  hear  the  complaint  and  have  met  and 
heard  it.  •  Then  considering  the  weight  of  the  cause  in  respect  to  the  person 
concerned  in  the  complaint,  agreed  to  call  in  two  neighbouring  churches  for 
advice,  but  there  came  to  our  help  but  the  messengers  from  Salisbury  only, 
whose  advice  was  that  the  choice  of  officers  either  teaching  or  ruling  elders, 
such  as  the  church  should  most  unanimously  agree  upon  would  most  conduce 
to  our  peace  and  quiet.  Whereupon  three  or  four  of  the  brethren  being  sent  to 
Mr.  Parker  to  desire  his  consent  to  this  advice  but  he  did  deny  it.  The  church 
having  adjourned  their  former  meeting,  when  they  heard  the  complaint,  met 
again  at  a  time  appointed  and  passed  their  judgment  upon  it,  and  being  forced 
thereunto  to  the  great  grief  and  trouble  of  our  hearts  and  by  an  act  laid  Mr. 
Parker  under  blame,  suspending  him  from  all  official  acts  until  he  gave  the 
church  satisfaction,  only  to  preach  as  a  gifted  brother  if  he  please,  and  having 
soe  done  they  elected  two  ruling  elders  Mr.  Richard  Dummer  and  Mr.  Edward 
Woodman,  and  have  appointed  Thursday  next  for  their  ordination.  This  is 
therefore  to  request  that  you  would  be  pleased  to  send  your  messengers  to  give 
their  approbation  to  the  work  intended,  and  what  help  you  can  to  the  furtherance 
of  the  work.  If  your  reverend  pastor  would  be  pleased  to  preach  us  a  sermon 
we  shall  be  much  obliged  unto  him.  Thus  we  thought  good  to  lay  open  to  your 
understanding  the  order  of  our  proceedings,  as  not  desiring  to  walk  in  the  dark,  or 
any  way  to  beguile  your  apprehensions.  In  case  the  Lord  should  stirr  up  your 
hearts  to  send  us  your  help  in  a  work  that  soe  much  concerns  the  glory  of  God, 
the  peace  of  the  church,  we  hope  you  shall  have  no  cause  to  repent  of  your  la- 
bour, but  to  praise  the  God  of  peace  with  ourselves  hoping  that  by  such  means 
he  will  be  pleased  to  create  peace  for  us.  Soe  commending  you  to  his  gracious 
direction  in  this  and  all  your  concernments  we  rest  in  him  to  serve  you  in  what 
we  may.  Signed  by  us,  whose  names  are  underwritten 

In  the  name  and  by  the  consent  of  the  church. 

ARCHELAUS  WOODMAN.         WILLIAM  TITCOMB. 

STEPHEN  GRENLEFE.  RICHARD  BARTLET. 

SAMUEL  PLUMER.  CALEB  MOODY.' 

ANSWER. 

'Rowley,  March  20;  1671. 

*  Dearly  beloved  in  the  Lord  Jesus, 

'  The  lecture  this  week  calls  for  my  attendance  so  that  I 
cannot  enlarge,  but  in  brief  you  may  by  these  understand  that  your  letter  hath 
been  read  before  the  church,  and  their  answer  is  that  they  judge  not  meet  to 
send  any  messengers  to  encourage  or  countenance  you  in  what  you  have  done 
in  reference  to  you  reverend  pastor,  nor  in  what  you  are  farther  about  to  do  in 
respect  to  your  ordination  of  elders,  as  being  doubtful  of  such  proceedings,  yet 
neither  do  they  think  meet  by  messengers  or  by  writing  to  bear  testimony 
against  your  actings  or  absolutely  to  condemn  them. 

1  But  for  myself  as  one  that  you  were  pleased  to  direct  your  letters  unto,  I 
must  needs  say  that  I  conceive  you  are  far  out  of  God's  way,  and  therefore  doe 
most  earnestly  beseech  you  to  desist  from  such  irregular  proceedings  and  un- 
heard of  in  any  church  in  New  England  that  I  know  of.  The  reasons  why  I 
conceive  your  late  transactions  to  be  irregular  are  these. 


HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY.  105 

4  First,  in  that  you  have  not  called  in  counsell  in  an  orderly  way  by  desiring 
your  pastor  and  the  brethren  with  him  to  joyne  with  you  in  calling  in  advice. 
Now  it  seems  to  me  irrational  as  well  as  unbrotherly,  that  brethren  especially  a 
pastor  should  not  have  liberty  as  well  as  brethren  (that  bear  offence  against 
him,)  to  chuse  such  as  may  hear  the  matter  between  them. 

1  Second,  in  that  he  hath  offered  you  to  joyne  with  you  in  calling  in  advice, 
you  have  not  closed  with  his  motion,  nor  been  moved  thereby  to  put  any  stop 
to  your  actinirs, 

1  Third,  as  to  your  deposing  of  your  reverend  pastor,  from  the  exercise  of 
his  pastoral  office,  you  mention  no  advice  from  the  messengers  of  Salisbury 
church  to  encourage  you  therein,  nor  doe  I  believe  any  church  in  the  colony 
\vill  stand  by  you  in  it  You  know  what  the  judgment  of  the  churches  is  as  to 
that  case  expressed  in  the  platform.  It  must  be  for  scandalous  evils,  not  mat- 
ters controversial  And  the  whole  brotherhood  agreeing  that  called  him  to 
office,  and  therefore  not  a  mere  major  part,  and  with  the  advice  of  neighbouring 
churches,  the  calling  in  of  which  you  have  neither  referred  to  your  pastor  nor 
accepted  his  offer  of  it  to  you.  For  my  coming  to  preach  with  you  on  Thursday 
next  if  I  should  soe  doe  I  should  think  myself  much  better  employed  than  *#»#:* 
sometimes  was  when  he  was  not  well  employed.  I  have  not  been  unwilling,  nor 
shall  be  to  serve  you  as  God  shall  call  and  wtten  he  calls  me  thereto.  In  the  mean 
while  I  beseech  the  good  Lord  to  direct  your  work  in  truth  and  insure  that  mer- 
cy to  you  and  me  that  David  begs  Psalms  19  :  13.  Keep  back  thy  servant,  and 
so  forth.  I  rest  your  grieved  brother 

SAMUEL  PHILLIPS.' 

The  two  following  letters  were  written  by  the  reverend  Samuel 
Phillips  of  Rowley.  They  are  also  transcribed  from  the  Rowley 
church  records  and  commence  thus  : 

1  January  16th,  1672. 

1 A  reply  to  a  letter  sent  to  S.  P.  from  ^r.  John  Woodbridge  in  justification  of 
their  practice  in  coming  to  the  Lord's  table  notwithstanding  the  sad  divisions 
among  them.' 

*  Reverend  and  dear  sir, 

1  Though  I  have  noe  great  list  nor  leisure  for  writings  of  this  na- 
ture your  long  epistle  necessitating  some  reply  I  doe  entreat  your  consideration 
of  these  few  lines  in  way  of  answer.  You  doe  in  yours  inform  me  that  the 
brethren  opposite  to  Mr.  Parker  doe  encourage  themselves  by  something  that 
they  have  heard  from  me,  as  if  I  profest  against  your  practice  in  celebrating 
the  Lord's  supper  in  such  a  time  of  division.  I  know  not  what  reports  you  have 
heard  nor  from  whom,  nor  on  what  ground  you  receive  them,  notwithstanding  I 
deny  not,  but  upon  occasion  I  was  of  your  last  council's  mind  in  this  matter 
(who  advised  a  cessation  at  present  till  your  spirits  were  healed  and  sweetened 
with  love  one  towards  another)  and  have  expressed  noe  less  to  Mr.  Parker  before 
the  council  was  sent.  But  if  it  be  the  way  of  Mr.  Woodman  and  the  rest  with 
him  to  take  advantage  by  any  hint  (as  you  say)  though  never  so  frivolous,  you 
needed  not  to  take  such  notice  of  the  taking  encouragement  from  such  hints, 
nor  take  so  much  pains  to  confute  them. 

1  Concerning  the  question  as  yourself  have  stated  it,  it  is  easily  answered, 
for  yourself  confess  that  if  there  were  any  thing  chargeable  in  the  reverend 
pastor  and  brethren  why  they  should  abstain  from  the  use  of  the  sacrament, 
that  then  you  would  acknowledge  that  the  case  were  somewhat  altered,  if  it 
were  soe.  But  that  I  conceive  is  the  case,  for  the  pastor  and  the  brethren  stand 
charged  by  a  council  to  have  acted  irregularly  in  several  things.  Three  are  in 
my  mind  at  present. 

1  First,  that  Mr.  Parker,  contrary  to  the  agreement  in  the  former  council,  did 
refuse  to  admit  some  into  fellowship,  because  they  were  of  different  persuasions 
from  himself,  whereas  different  persuasions  on  either  side  was  to  be  noe  lett  to 
admissions. 

14 


106  HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY. 

1  Second,  that  the  articles  of  agreement  (of  which  the  forementioned  was  one) 
to  which  Mr.  Parker  consented  and  several  principal  brethren,  yet  that  he  should 
refuse  to  publish  them  and  to  endeavour  a  consent  to  them,  was  an  omission  that 
had  sad  consequences  following  amongst  yourselves,  not  to  speak  how  much 
the  former  council's  pains  was  made  thereby  ineffectual  and  God's  name  taken 
in  vain  whilst  solemn  thanks  were  given  to  God  in  the  churches  that  he  had 
blessed  endeavours  and  inclined  their  hearts  to  such  articles  of  agreement. 

1  Third,  that  the  pastor  and  brethren  did  pass  a  sentence  against  Mr.  Wood- 
man's party  before  calling  them  to  repentance,  or  advising  in  soe  weighty  a 
matter  with  other  churches,  and  though  you  once  expressed  yourself  that  these 
circumstantial  omissions  (tho'  Mr.  Parker  did  not  grant  so  farre)  I  conceive  that 
they  were,  especially  the  former,  a  substantial  omission  of  attendance  to  the 
article  that  calls  upon  us  to  have  patience  with  an  heretic,  and  not  reject  him 
presently  without  using  means  once  and  again  to  convince  and  reduce  him,  for  it 
becomes  us  much  more  to  use  means  with  our  brethren  to  convince  and  reduce 
them  from  the  errors  of  their  ways,  James  5  :  20,  and  Timothy  2  :  24  and  25.  In 
a  word  I  do  conceive  that  if  the  council's  determination  when  they  left  you,  and 
the  reply  to  your  objections  be  well  considered,  there  will  appear  something 
chargeable  on  the  pastor  and  brethren,  which  ought  to  be  acknowledged,  (that 
thereby  the  hearts  of  the  brethren  grieved  and  offended  may  be  eased)  before 
you  came  in  order  to  the  Lord's  table.  And  besides  it  may  be  feared  that  your- 
selves not  beginning  in  this  work  is  the  cause  why  the  opposite  party  are  not 
more  forward  to  attend  their  duty  herein,  which  duty  how  much  it  is  incumbent 
on  both,  methinks  those  scriptures  the  fifth  Matthew  23,  24  and  James  5 :  16 
doe  evince.  It  is  true  God  will  have  have  his  holy  ordinances  attended,  which 
you  strongly  plead,  but  you  know  that  he  will  have  them  attended  after  the  due 
order,  otherwise  we  may  expect  a  breach  rather  than  a  blessing  1  Chronicles  5  : 
12.  God  loves  his  worship  and  desires  it  much  but  he  **##  more  upon  peace 
and  union  amongst  his  people  than  upon  attendance  upon  him  in  this  or  that 
part  of  substituted  worship,  which  are  means  to  further  us  in  moral  duties  and 
therefore  tells  us  that  he  is  willing  to  stay  for  his  service  till  we  be  reconciled 
one  to  another.  If  the  gift  must  be  left  at  the  altar  till  personal  reconciliation  be 
made,  much  more  when  the  distance  is  between  so  many,  not  healed  by  per- 
sonal acknowledgements.  And  as  to  this  you  should  do  as  you  would  be  done 
by.  You  will  not  admit  the  brethren  to  that  ordinance  without  confession  of 
their  faults,  and  why  should  you  goe  to  it  without  attendance  to  the  duty  you 
call  for  from  them,  being  there  are  failings  with  you  as  well  as  greater  evils 
with  them.  As  for  your  pleading  therefore  not  guilty,  it  is  not  unuseful  to  con- 
sider what  Mr.  Burroughs  speaks  in  his  Irenicon.  who  tells  us  when  our  spirits 
are  hot  with  displeasure  one  against  another,  we  are  apt  to  be  hardened 
from  seeing  what  is  amiss  in  ourselves  as  it  was  with  Jonah  wrhen  his  spirit  was 
hot  and  angry  he  would  hardly  be  convinced  by  God  himself  that  he  did  or 
spoke  any  thing  amiss. 

1  Concerning  your  judgment  that  no  cessation  in  your  case  can  be  grounded 
on  1  Corinthians,  11,  I  desire  you  would  a  little  consider  the  eighteenth, 
twentieth^  and  thirty-third  verses.  He  tells  them  that  whilst  there  were  divisions 
and  other  evils  amongst  them,  this  was  not  to  eat  the  Lord's  supper,  hence  it 
necessarily  follows,  that  those  things,  which  made  it  to  be  noe  participation  in 
the  Lord's  supper,  if  not  amended,  ought  to  be  reformed  before  they  came, 
otherwise  why  does  God  set  the  sword's  point  at  their  breast  verses  twenty- 
seven  and  twenty-nine,  yea  [threaten]  them  not  only  with  sickness  but  with  death, 
if  they  might  still  meet  at  that  ordinance  though  those  divisions  and  other  evils 
are  not  removed.  He  that  says  examine,  prepare  and  soe  come,  does  therein 
say  come  not  otherwise  ;  and  church  reformation,  not  only  personal  examination 
is  required  in  that  chapter  before  they  might  partake  of  that  ordinance,  other- 
wise they  might  expect  to  hear  from  God  this  is  not  to  eat  the  Lord's  supper 
verse  twentieth  yea  and  might  expect  to  feel  more  of  his  displeasure  besides 
what  what  they  had  felt.  I  need  not  tell  you,  sir,  what  God  required  of  the 
Jews  as  to  searching  out  of  leaven  before  they  eat  the  passover.  or  what  it  sig- 
nified. The  apostle  expounds  the  1  Corinthians  9  purge  out  the  old  leaven 
that  you  may  keep  the  feast.  The  least  sin  is  worse  than  a  cartload  of  leaven. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  107 

These  forementioned  failings  the  scriptures  doe  condemn  as  well  as  the  council. 
The  Lord  enable  you  to  purge  them  out  by  repentance,  that  soe  you  may  come 
together  to  that  ordinance  of  love,  joy  and  prayse  purely  for  the  better  and  not 
for  the  worse.  Soe  prays  your  unworthy  brother, 

SAMUEL  PHILLIPS.' 

lRvwky  April  3d,  1672. 

'  Reverend  and  good  sir, 

t  It  was  in  my  purpose,  (as  it  seems  it  was  in  yours),  not  to  have 
troubled  you  nor  myself  with  any  more  writing,  and  therefore  having  perused 
your  reply  to  my  letter,  though  I  got  not  satisfaction  by  it,  yet  I  attempted  noe 
return,  judging  it  meet  that  yourself  should  have  the  last  word,  but  having 
received  another  writing  from  you  intimating  that  I  have  to  great  offence  admit- 
ted one  of  Newbury  church,  or  more  to  the  Lord's  table  with  us,  though  under 
scandal,  and  having  given  satisfaction,  this  does  necessitate  me  to  write  once 
more  and  upon  this  occasion  I  shall  make  a  brief  reply  unto  your  former  large 
letter.  The  fifth  of  Matthew  you  wave  as  conceiving  it  touches  not  your  case, 
but  condemns  moral  evils,  covered  with  a  cloak  of  devotion  towards  God,  such 
as  open  violence,  devouring  widows'  houses  and  for  a  pretence  making  long 
prayers,  but  the  text  saith,  if  thou  rememberest  that  thy  brother  hath  aught  against 
thee  if  it  be  a  lesser  fault,  such  as  you  mention,  yet  if  it  be  a  breach  of  rule 
whereby  I  have  offended  my  brother  hi  word  or  deed,  I  ought  to  acknowledge 
my  fault  and  be  reconciled  unto  him.  It  is  true  as  you  say  a  man  must  remem- 
ber that  his  brother  hath  something  against  him  and  if  you  yourselves  can  re- 
member nought  of  that  nature,  who  can  help  it  but  only  God  ?  whereas  you  say 
in  your  first  writing  and  also  in  your  second  that  all  duties,  (if  God's  worship 
may),  both  publick  and  private  must  be  omitted,  I  know  noe  such  consequence 
as  that  can  rationally  be  gathered  from  any  thing  I  have  exprest.  You  say 
that  all  God's  ordinances  are  of  the  same  nature  and  alike  holy.  Though  that 
be  granted,  yet  I  conceive  a  man  may  and  ought  to  attend  upon  God  in  duties  of 
his  worship  daily  in  his  family  and  weekly  in  hearing  the  word  and  so  forth, 
though  in  his  sins,  loving  and  allowing  himself  in  them,  as  suppose  a  pott  com- 
panion, and  one  that  has  offended  many  by  his  ungodly  words  and  ways,  and 
though  it  is  his  sin  to  come  with  the  stumbling  block  of  his  inquity  before  his 
face  yet  he  may  not  abstain  from  the  service  of  God  in  family  and  in  publick, 
but  for  him  to  come  to  the  Lord's  supper  in  such  a  condition  were  a  high  provo- 
cation to  God,  very  sinful  in  them  that  suffer  it  and  very  dangerous  to  his  own 
[soul.]  The  reason  is  because  some  duties  of  God's  worship  as  reading,  hear- 
ing, prayer  and  so  forth  are  means  appointed  for  converting  and  working  grace, 
and  therefore  to  be  attended  by  such  as  are  impenitent  offenders,  but  the  sacra- 
ment is  appointed  for  comforting  the  weak  brethren,  and  for  strengthening  and 
increasing  of  grace  ;  my  meaning  is  not  in  the  least  to  reflect  in  all  this,  but 
to  show  the  invalidity  of  such  an  assertion  that  if  we  must  abstain  from  the 
Lord's  supper  till  we  have  acknowledged  our  faults,  whereby  we  have  offended 
our  brethren  (especially  all  that  are  more  publick)  then  by  the  same  reason  we 
must  abstain  from  all  duties  of  God's  worship  both  publick  and  private.  Be- 
sides family  worship  daily  and  publick  worship  weekly  are  stated  as  to  time  of 
attending  such  duties,  but  the  Lord's  supper  is  not  so"  but  we  may  come  to  it 
seldomer  or  oftener  as  we  are  in  capacity  for  such  an  ordinance.  Old  Mr.  Shep- 
ard  administered  it  once  in  ten  weeks  and  truly  better  not  once  in  a  year  than 
to  come  with  any  allowed  leaven  (publickly  taken  notice  of)  but  not  removed 
by  repentance.  You  farther  add  that  the  innocent  are  not  be  judged  with  the 
guilty.  I  answer, 

'•  First,  it  is  hard  to  conceive  that  in  a  church  contending  and  divided  there 
will  be  many  innocent,  though  some  are  usually  farre  more  guilty  than  others. 
1  Corinthians  1 1  :  30  we  read  not  of  many  clear. 

1  Secondly,  if  there  be  particular  persons  men  and  women  innocent  yet  till  the 
church  be  in  peace  and  offences  healed  in  some  measure,  they  are  to  submit  to 
the  affliction  to  want  the  Lords  supper.  At  Ipswich  there  was  hot  contentions 
about  Mr.  Norton's  leaving  them,  some  sadly  clasht  with  the  reverend  Mr.  Rogers, 
and  one  with  another,  and  though  there  were  divers  good  men  and  women  that 


108  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

never  meddled  in  that  business,  but  sat  silent,  yet  the  sacrament  was  not 
administered.  And  was  it  not  the  duty  (think  you)  of  these  innocent  ones  to 
submit  to  it  (though  for  a  time  they  wanted  that  ordinance),  the  church  not 
being  in  a  capacity  to  celebrate  it  till  matters  were  composed. 

1  As  to  the  three  particulars  I  mentioned  I  conceived  you  had  and  have  cause 
to  blame  yourselves  herein.  Time  permits  not  to  argue  farther  with  you 
about  them,  only  a  few  words  as  to  the  third  about  your  censure  upon  the 
offending  brother.  I  will  not  now  discourse  upon  the  nullity  of  that  sentence 
nor  how  farr  ye  saying  clavis  ##**  non  ligat  is  applicable  to  your  act,  yet  two 
things  I  formerly  mentioned  were  omissions,  which  I  still  think  cannot  be  justified. 

1  First,  the  not  calling  upon  them  to  see  their  sin  in  such  an  unheard  of  act, 
you  tell  me  you  had  often  warned  them  to  desist  from  their  irregular  proceed- 
ings and  actings,  but  not  a  word  of  any  endeavour  to  bring  them  to  the  sense 
of  that  sin,  or  those  sins  you  censured  them  for,  and  therefore  they  could  not 
be  looked  upon  as  such  as  would  not  hear  the  church,  when  the  church  had 
not  admonished  them,  nor  called  upon  them  for  repentance,  and  as  only  such 
as  refuse  to  hear  the  church  are  to  be  censured,  or  withdrawn  from,  by  the  church. 
And  forasmuch  as  you  say  what  good  success  could  have  been  expected,  if  you 
had  endeavoured  to  bring  them  to  a  sight  of  these  evils  ?  I  answer  whether 
they  would  hear  or  forbear,  yet  God's  rule  is  to  be  attended  and  therefore  your 
third  ingredient  to  right  sentence  is  namely,  to  seek  a  law  of  God,  that  will  allow 
them  you  mention  to  withdraw  from  you.  obstinate  offenders  to  be  censured.  I 
answer  not  to  be  withdrawn  from  till  all  due  means  be  used  for  their  conviction 
and  bringing  them  to  repentance,  neither  could  they  be  called  obstinate 
offenders  when  you  had  not  endeavoured  to  bring  them  to  a  sight  of  their  evils, 
especially  the  scandalous  one  of  deposing  Mr.  Parker. 

1  It  is  true  what  you  say  it  is  easier  to  find  faults  than  to  mend  them  ;  it  is 
also  as  true  it  is  easier  to  make  faults  than  to  see  them,  as  appears  by  your 
calling  this  an  omission  of  you  know  not  what,  and  let  what  I  have  said 
formerly  and  now  as  to  this  matter  be  accounted  a  private  fancy,  I  am  willing 
to  bear  it  having  a  council  to  bear  it  with  me  and  what  is  more  the  rule  will 
stand  by  me  to  my  best  understanding. 

'  Second,  touching  the  other  omission  of  calling  in  council  your  own  words 
doe  evince  that  it  was  an  unjustifiable  omission,  in  that  you  once  and  again 
say  (I  think  truly)  that  it  was  a  case  the  like  was  never  heard  of,  that  you 
know  of  in  the  Christian  world,  the  more  necessity  of  serious  deliberation  and 
good  advice,  and  you  may  be  sure  noe  council  in  the  country  would  have 
advised  you  to  pass  any  sentence  against  them  or  [them  to]  withdraw  from  you 
till  due  means  had  been  used  by  yourselves  together  with  the  body  of  other 
churches,  if  need  were  to  bring  them  .to  repentance.  By  this  you  may  perceive 
that  I  am  farre  from  that  [opinion]  that  particular  churches  have  absolute  power 
to  carry  all  matters  amongst  themselves.  If  some  of  our  church  has  lisped  out 
something  that  way,  we  own  it  not  for  a  congregational  principle,  only  they  say, 
I  own  that  every  particular  church  organic  has  power  to  carry  on  all  affairs  and 
administration  in  God's  house,  excepting  when  they  cannot  proceed  for  want  of 
light  in  difficult  cases,  or  for  want  of  peace  and  accord. 

'As  for  that  passage  you  mention  out  of  the  platform  that  the  power  of 
regular  government  is  in  the  pastor  and  the  brethren  walking  in  communion, 
they  can't  be  thought  to  intend  it  of  a  divided  and  rent  church  as  yours  is. 
Concerning  your  last  writing  as  to  the  satisfaction  the  brethren  generally 
rendered.  I  judge  as  you  do  that  it  is  farre  from  what  the  Lord  and  his  people 
do  expect  from  them.  As  for  the  matter  of  blame  you  allege  against  me  #### 
######  as  receiving  to  the  sacrament  one  or  more  of  your  offending  brethren 
scandalous  and  impenitent,  I  answer  that  it  is  easy  to  conceive  a  grievous  fault 
and  then  to  aggravate  and  lay  a  load  of  blame  upon  it.  I  am  not  of  that 
opinion  as  you  intimate,  nor  has  there  been  any  such  practice  amongst  us  as 
yet  that  we  know  of.  The  person  that  communicated  with  us  was  goodman 
[Thomas]  Hale  junior.  You  say  our  practice  therein  is  episcopal,  I  wish  there 
were  nothing  in  Newbury  that  looks  of  a  more  episcopal  countenance,  but  to 
let  that  pass. 

'  First,  the  censure  put  upon  him,  namely,  goodman  Hale  and  the  rest  was 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  109 

understood  by  the  council  to  be  null,  I  answer  it  was  irregular  though  its  true 
the  fault  was  great. 

1  Second,  he  was  one  that  Mr.  Parker  was  willing  to  accept  to  the  Lord's 
supper  with  himself  as  being  satisfied  with  his  acknowledgement  (wherein  he 
comes  up  fully  to  own  his  fault  according  to  the  sentence  of  the  council  in 
terminis)  provided  he  would  come  to  the  sacrament. 

'  Third,  we  have  it  attested  by  two  witnesses  that  Mr.  Parker  told  them  (going 
to  him  to  acknowledge  their  faults  according  to  the  sentence  of  the  council) 
that  let  them  go  as  far  as  they  would  in  acknowledgement  except  they  would 
come  and  join  with  him  at  the  Lord's  table,  it  would  not  be  taken  for  satisfaction. 

1  Fourth,  I  propounded  his  desire  of  partaking  to  our  church,  that  if  any  had 
any  thing  to  object.  There  was  not  one  that  manifested  the  least  dissent. 

'  I  asked  the  week  before  advice  of  Mr.  Gobbet  in  reference  to  Mr.  Dummer 
and  goodman  Hale  their  desire  of  partaking  with  us  that  in  case  they  came  up 
to  full  acknowledgement  of  their  evil  to  Mr.  Parker  and  the  brethren  that  they 
might  be  admitted,  if  Mr.  Parker  do  not  own  that  he  have  submitted  to  the 
council's  sentence  (I  mean  goodman  Hale)  to  take  blame  upon  him,  which  they 
lay  upon  him,  and  was  unwilling  or  refused  to  own  as  much  publickly  as  he 
presented  to  Mr.  Parker  more  privately,  then  I  acknowledge  there  was  a  wilful 
irregularity  in  admitting  him  to  communion  in  that  ordinance  with  us  for  the 
witnesses  I  spoke  of  were  not  present  when  goodman  Hale  offered  such  full 
satisfaction  to  Mr.  Parker,  which  I  understood  not  till  a  day  or  two  after  the 
sacrament,  but  the  testimony  is  that  they  there  offered  up  like  full  satisfaction, 
but  it  was  not  accepted  except  they  would  come  to  the  sacrament.  I  shall  not 
for  the  future  admit  him  nor  any  more  of  yours  till  they  make  it  evident  by  full 
proof  that  they  have  attended  their  duty  in  what  is  before  mentioned,  and  then 
though  they  should  essay  to  join  with  that  part  of  the  church  with  you,  which 
do  partake.  I  do  not  see  how  they  can  be  rejected  of  other  churches,  yet  not- 
withstanding I  shall  not  be  very  forward  to  admit  any  more  of  yours  till  God  be 
pleased  to  find  out  some  way  for  issuing  the  difference  amongst  you,  which 
might  have  been  obtained  before  this  day,  had  both  parties  acknowledged  to 
each  other  what  was  amiss.  I  would  not  be  understood  as  if  I  looked  upon  the 
offences  as  equally  evil,  yet  the  mote  in  our  eyes  should  trouble  us  (if  the 
humble  soul  may  call  his  sin  a  mote)  as  well  as  in  another's,  for  a  less  fault  is 
more  hurtful  to  us,  if  not  repented  of,  than  the  greatest  crimes  of  others  can  be. 

1  For  my  intermeddling  as  a  busy-body  in  other  men's  matters,  for  that  is  the 
apostles'  expression  that  you  seem  to  refer  to,  you  cannot  be  ignorant  that  I  can 
easily  answer  it,  but  I  desire  not  to  aggravate,  but  to  love  you  and  delight  in 
you,  notwithstanding  all  reflections,  for  I  cannot  but  say  that  you  have  been  and 
are  dear  to  me  and  reverend  Mr.  Parker  also,  though  it  may  be  neither  of  you 
are  very  ready  to  believe  it  at  present.  I  do  not  intend  to  trouble  you  with  any 
more  writing  (but  hope  we  may  have  opportunity  to  discourse  the  matter  lovingly 
together.)  In  the  meanwhile  while  the  God  of  love  and  peace  direct  us  in  the 
way  thereof.  Pray  for  your  unworthy  brother, 

SAMUEL  PHILLIPS.' 

The  difficulties  in  the  church  in  Newbury  had,  it  seems,  excited 
a  deep  interest  in  almost  all  parts  of  the  state,  and,  as  usual  in  times 
of  excitement,  a  vast  deal  of  falsehood  was  circulated  respecting 
Mr.  Parker.  One  of  these  stories  was  deemed  of  so  much  impor- 
tance by  the  grand  jury,  that  they  sent  the  following  to  the  county 
court: 

1  We  present  Edward  Lumas  of  Ipswich  for  publishing  these  following  words, 
namely,  l  that  Mr.  Parker  of  Newbury  had  sent  a  letter  to  the  lord  arch  bishop 
of  Canterbury  for  help  and  relief  about  their  troubles  at  Newbury  and  that  he 
saw  a  copy  of  the  letter.' 

t  For  this  offence,'  the  court  records  inform  us,  May  first,  1672, 


110  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

4  Edward  Lumas  and  Robert  Adams  shall  audibly  make  public  ac- 
knowledgement next  lecture  day.' 


1672. 

From  the  general  court  records  I  make  the  following  extracts : 

'May  19th,  1672.  The  court  having  perused  the  return  of  the  messengers  of 
the  churches  chosen  by  order  of  the  ecclesiastical  court  to  inspect  the 
differences  in  the  church  of  Newbury  and  to  offer  their  best  advice  according  to 
the  word  of  God  for  their  composure  and  healing  and  to  make  return  of  what 
they  shall  find  and  do  in  this  matter  unto  this  court  or  council  of  the  common- 
wealth and  upon  our  consideration  judge  meet  to  declare  their  approbation  of 
the  same  and  desire  it  may  be  attended  to  accordingly  by  all  persons  respect- 
ively concerned,  the  particulars  whereof  are  as  followeth. 

1  First,  concerning  Mr.  Woodman  and  his  company  we  do  judge  their  actings 
in  withdrawing  from  the  rest  of  the  church,  to  set  up  meetings  among  them- 
selves in  the  name  of  the  church  and  to  act  the  power  of  the  church  in  admon- 
ishing and  suspending  their  reverend  pastor  and  choosing  elders,  appointing  a 
time  of  ordination,  although  they  be  the  major  part  of  the  brethren  and,  not- 
withstanding offences  and  provocations  given  them  we  cannot  but  bear  due 
witness  against  them,  as  a  violation  of  church  order  in  the  gospel  and  usurpa- 
tion upon  the  liberties  of  their  brethren,  for  although  the  whole  church  agree- 
ing may  censure  an  officer  for  gross  and  scandalous  evils  in  dealing  or  conver- 
sation, impenitently  persisted  in  according  to  Colossians  4:  17,  Romans  16  :  17, 
as  is  alleged  in  the  platform  of  discipline,  yet  in  a  divided  state  of  the  church 
for  the  major  part  and  that  by  a  very  few,  and  that  in  a  matter  doubtful  and 
disputable,  to  act  as  is  aforesaid  is  a  matter  of  great  disorder  and  scandalous 
and  contrary  to  1  Thessalonians  5:13,  Gallatians  4  :  13,  1  Corinthians  13:4, 
and  therefore  is  a  nullity. 

1  Second,  concerning  the  act  of  the  reverend  pastor  and  those  with  him  sus- 
pending Mr.  Woodman  and  the  brethren  with  him  notwithstanding  the  offence 
given  them,  yet  to  pass  such  an  act  or  censure  suddenly  and  thereby  increasing 
the  rent  and  occasioning  greater  divisions  and  themselves  being  the  minor  part 
of  the  church  and  not  seeking  after  healing  means  and  so  forth  or  taking  counsel 
is  irregular  and  null  1  Corinthians  14 :  40,  2  Corinthians  13  :  10.  Thus  far  we 
have  in  faithfulness  declared  our  judgments  concerning  offences  and  failings 
each  party  is  guilty  of.  Some  other  things  that  are  more  dubious  in  the  agita- 
tions before  us,  we  shall  only  give  our  advice  about  to  avoid  unnecessary  dis- 
putes about  them  for  the  future. 

1  First,  whereas  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  given  liberty  of  voting  in  all  their 
own  concerns  to  the  whole  church  it  necessarily  follows  that  the  judgment  of 
the  whole  church  should  be  clearly  manifested  and  forasmuch  the  scripture 
mentioneth  the  lifting  up  of  hands  Acts  14  :  23,  we  judge  that  the  most  clear  way 
and  rather  to  be  chosen,  and  that  a  sufficient  number  should  appear  to  discover 
a  major  part,  the  rest  being  silent. 

1  Second,  we  advise  Mr.  Woodman  according  to  the  fourth  commandment  to 
attend  diligently  on  the  publick  worship  of  God  on  the  Lord's  days  avoiding 
offence  and  evil  example  in  the  contrary  so  far  as  bodily  infirmities  will  suffer 
him  so  to  do. 

1  Third,  in  reference  to  the  reverend  Mr.  Woodbridge  we  advise  and  entreat 
that  whereas  the  peace  and  edification  of  the  church  of  Christ  is  much  promo- 
ted and  depends  upon  the  amicable  close  of  spirit  and  united  judgment,  between 
the  officers  and  brethren,  the  speaker  and  hearers,  the  enemy  being  vigilant  to 
take  all  advantages  to  hinder  the  gracious  operation  of  the  holy  word  of  God  in 
the  publick  ministry  thereof,  and  whereas  there  doth  appear  not  only  some 
hesitations,  but  distance  in  judgment  in  reference  to  discipline  and  of  affections 
and  some  other  provoking  words  passed  in  publick  in  our  hearing,  we  desire , 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  Ill 

request  and  advise  the  reverend  Mr.  Woodbridsp,  not  to  impose  himself  or  his 
ministry  (however  otherwise  desirable)  upon  this  church,  but  that  they  have  the 
liberty  that  Jesus  Christ,  gospel  rule,  and  approved  church  order,  doth  allow 
them,  to  choose  their  own  minister,  that  all  obstruction  to  edification  and  ground 
to  temptation  may  be  removed,  as  was  intimated  was  the  mind  of  the  former 
council,  but  to  wait  to  see  the  mind  of  God  in  the  issue  of  the  reconciliation  of 
the  church,  if  God  shall  guide  their  hearts  to  closing  with  him. 

1  Fourth,  we  advise  that  hereafter  ecclesiastical  offences  be  not  too  suddenly 
brought  to  civil  courts  without  consulting  with  churches  being  contrary  as  we 
judge  to  2  Colossians  5,  6,  7. 

*  Considering  the  great  age  and  weakness  of  reverend  Mr.  Parker  and  thereby 
his  unfimess  to  manage  church  discipline,  we  advise  it  as  very  suitable  and 
seasonable  to  this  church's  case  to  choose  a  ruling  elder  or  two,  provided  they 
be  without  just  offence  to  either  party,  for  the  healing  this  great  breach  and 
offences,  that  have  brought  so  much  dishonor  to  God,  and  the  profession  of  the 
gospel,  and  "been  so  destructive  of  the  edification  of  this  church  and  the  people 
of  this  plantation.  We  do  advise  and  most  seriously  exhort  in  the  name  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  these  duties,  which  the  Lord  requires  of  this  church  in 
such  a  case. 

1  First,  that  this  church  be  sincerely  and  deeply  humbled  before  the  Lord  as 
for  their  divisions,  distances  and  want  of  love  in  general,  so  also  in  particular 
for  such  failings  and  evils  as  we  have  before  mentioned  and  that  according  to 
the  nature  and  scandalousness  of  the  evils  any  of  them  have  fallen  into,  then 
that  every  one  may  know  and  acknowledge  the  plague  of  their  own  heart  be- 
fore the  Lord  according  to  the  rules  of  Christ  Matthew  8 :  3.  Revelations  3  :  5, 
repent  and  do  the  first  works  and  as  God  shall  open  their  hearts,  shall  confess 
to  one  another  according  to  James  5:16. 

i  Second,  we  advise  and  exhort  after  due  humiliation,  there  be  a  mutual, 
hearty  and  free  forgiveness  of  each  other  according  to  the  rules  of  Christ,  if  thy 
brother  repent,  forgive  him  even  to  seventy  times  seven.  Matthew  8:  22, 
Colossians  3:13  forbearing  one  another  as  God  for  Christ's  sake  forgave  you 
Matthew  18:  15. 

<  Third,  we  advise  and  exhort  that  this  repentance  may  be  manifested  by  all 
such  acts  of  reformation  and  love  as  is  suitable  to  the  grace  of  true  repentance, 
Matthew  .3  :  8,  bring  therefore  fruits  meet  for  repentance,  and  that  hereafter  the 
whole  church  walk  according  to  the  rule  of  faith,  love  and  the  order  of  the 
gospel,  whereunto  you  latterly  had  a  seasonable  exhortation  that  soe  peace  and 
mercy  may  be  upon  you  with  the  whole  Israel  of  God.' 

'  The  court  also  ordered  the  following  letter  to  be  sent  to  the  church  of 
Newbury. 

1  Reverend  and  beloved  in  our  and  your  Lord. 

1  By  these  we  signify  to  you  that  we  have  received  the 

return  of  the  within  messengers  of  churches,  elders  and  brethren  of  their  trav- 
ail and  pains  with  you  in  pursuance  of  their  churches'  call  upon  our  desire. 
Upon  reading  and  considering  their  result,  we  have  passed  our  approbation  of 
the  counsel  therein  given  unto  you,  as  suitable  to  your  case,  which  we  remit  to 
you  with  these.  And  although  we  might  enjoin  you.  yet  for  love's  sake  we 
beseech  you  and  every  one  of  you  as  you  are  concerned  therein,  pastor  and 
people,  preacher  and  hearers,  however  before  divided,  that  you  jointly  attend  to 
the  counsel  so  given  you,  that  we  may  say  of  you  that  though  for  some  time  you 
have  been  unprofitable  one  to  another,  yet  now  you  are  become  profitable  again 
as  in  former  times,  and  that  the  churches  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  which  have 
been  saddened  by  your  divisions  and  contentions,  may  have  cause  to  rejoice  in 
and  before  the  Lori  on  your  behalf,  and  the  name  of  the  Lord,  that  hath  been 
dishonored  may  be  honored  by  your  mutual  putting  forth  such  acts  of  faith  and 
repentance  as  may  reach  to  the  recovering  of  your  peace  with  the  Lord  and  with 
one  another  that  so  you  may  be  found  in  t£e  more  excellent  way  of  charity  mani- 
festing yourselves  unto  all  men  that  you  are  Christ's  disciples  by  loving  one  an- 
other. Our  just  expectation  is  that  you  delay  not  in  this  great  concern,  but  that 
you  apply  every  one  in  your  respective  places  unto  the  furtherance  thereof. 


112  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

Should  there  be  a  failure  of  you  or  any  of  you  therein  (which  the  Lord  forbid) 
you  may  not  think  but  that  we  shall  be  necessitated  to  advise  what  further 
course  is  to  be  taken  according  to  God  that  contentions  may  be  removed  and 
peace  restored  among  you.  Thus  we  commend  you  to  the  Lord  and  to  the 
word  of  his  grace.' 

By  the  court, 

EDWARD  RAWSON,  Secretary. 
c  To  the  reverend  Thomas  Parker, 
pastor  of  the  church  in  Newbury,  to  be  com- 
municated to  the  church  there.' 

I  shall  here  give  one  more  extract  from  the  general  court  records, 
and  relieve  the  patience  of  the  reader.  It  is  the  last  notice  that  I 
have  been  able  to  find  on  the  subject  in  any  record  whatever. 

'October  8th,  1672.  Whereas  there  hath  been  a  complaint  exhibited  to  this 
court  by  many  of  Newbury,  whereby  it  is  evident  that  the  council  agreed  to  and 
sent  in  May  last  to  be  attended  to  by  them  hath  not  been  so  attended  as  the 
court  expected,  and  for  that  the  persons  more  especially  informed  against,  as  ob- 
structing the  same  have  not,  appeared  personally  before  the  court  that  they 
might  answer  for  themselves,  this  court  doth  further  commend  the  said  advice 
unto  them  to  be  attended  by  both  parties,  professing  their  readiness  there  to  and 
that  the  distemper  of  their  contentions  may  not  obstruct  in  the  manner  of  their 
coming  to  the  understanding  of  themselves  and  one  another  therein  this  court 
doth  appoint  Mr.  Thomas  Danforth,  Mr.  William  Stoughton,  Mr.  Urian  Oakes, 
doctor  Leonard  Hoar,'  captain  Thomas  Clarke,  Mr.  Henry  Bartholomew,  Mr. 
John  Elliot  and  Mr.  Joshua  Moody  as  a  committee  and  that  the  major  part  of 
the  whole  meeting  there  shall  be  a  quorum,  who  are  to  repair  to  Newbury  and 
call  both  parties  together  and  persuade  with  them  to  attend  the  same  in  love  and 
Christian  submission  one  to  another  according  to  God  and  in  case  there  shall  appear 
any  refractoriness  in  any  amongst  them  that  the  persons  so  sent  cannot  prevail 
with  them  that  they  then  make  return  to  the  next  court  of  election  what  they 
find  and  do  therein.' 

To  some  of  my  readers  the  following  transcript  from  the  county 
court  files  in  Salem,  may  be  interesting. 

'  I  Ann  Hills,  sometime  servant  to  Abraham  Toppan,  testify  that  Abraham 
Toppan  did  make  sundry  voyages  to  the  Barbadoes,  of  which  one  or  two  were 
profitable,  the  produce  being  brought  home  in  sugars,  cotton  wool  and  molasses, 
which  were  then  commodities,  rendering  great  profit,  wool  being  then  at  twelve 
pence,  sugar  at  six  or  eight  pence  per  pound  profit,  of  which  he  brought  great 
quantities. 

t  Jacob  Toppan  testifieth  that  the  last  voyage  from  Barbadoes  above  mentioned 
he  brought  home  eight  barrels  and  one  hogshead  of  sugar  and  two  or  three  thou- 
sand pounds  of  cotton  wool.' 

Testimonies  taken  in  1671. 

1  April  \st,  1672,  [old  style.]  A  great  storme  of  driving  snow 
came  out  of  the  north  west  and  drove  up  in  drifts  about  six  feet 
deep.  For  the  space  of  fourteen  days  [after]  it  was  a  sad  time  of 
rain,  not  one  whole  fair  day  in  fourteen  and  much  damage  done  to 
mills  and  other  things  by  the  flood,  which  followed.'  ^ 

*  Hampton  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  113 


1673. 

''March  26th.  The  town  was  fined  five  pounds  for  neglect  about 
Thorlay's  bridge  and  ordered  to  make  it  passable  for  safe  traveling, 
on  penalty  of  ten  pounds  more.  John  Pearson  of  Rowley  to  see  it 
made  sufficiently  and  to  be  done  by  midsummer,'  and  so  forth.^ 

*  Richard  Kent  is  freed  from  trayning  by  paying  four  bushels  of 
good  mault  to  the  use  of  the  troop.'  # 

September  24th.  l  There  was  a  storme  of  raine  and  snow  so  that 
the  ground  was  covered  with  snow  and  some  of  it  continued  till  the 
twenty-sixth.'  f 

January  31st.  A  committee  was  chosen  for  building  a  house  *  for 
the  ministry  of  the  same  dimensions  every  way  as  Nathaniel  Clark's 
is  with  the  addition  of  a  porch.'  :£  4  It  was  also  voted  to  lay  out 
six  acres  of  land  behind  captain  Gerrish's  house  towards  Trotter's 
bridge  for  the  ministry.'  J 

April  16th.  '  The  town  voted  that  the  minister's  rate  should  be 
made  every  year  in  October,  one  hah0  to  be  paid  in  English  grain 
as  wheat,  barley,  rye  and  pease,  the  other  half  in  Indian  corn.'  J 

July  5th.  i  The  selectmen  ordered  that  John  Webster  shah1  pay 
ten  shillings  and  Peter  Toppan  five  shillings  for  cutting  down  trees 
on  the  land  that  is  called  the  burying  place.'  £ 

When  the  town  of  Newbury  was  first  settled,  large  quantities  of 
sturgeon  were  taken  from  the  rivers  Merrimac  and  Quascacunquen, 
which  were  not  only  used  and  highly  valued  as  an  article  of  diet, 
but  pickled  and  packed  in  kegs  for  transportation. 

Frequent  allusions  to  this  subject  are  made  in  the  county  and 
state  records,  old  account  books,  and  so  forth.  Thus  Wood,  who 
visited  America  in  1633,  says,  '  that  much  [sturgeon]  is  taken  on  the 
banks  of  the  Merrimac,  twelve,  fourteen,  eighteen  feet  long,  pickled 
and  sent  to  England.' 

In  1656,  *  a  keg  of  sturgeon,  ten  shillings,'  was  among  the  charges 
for  entertaining  an  ecclesiastical  council  at  Salisbury.  In  1667,  Is- 
rael Webster  testified,  '  that  he  carried  twenty-two  ferkins  and  kegs 
of  sturgeon  from  William  Thomas'  cellar  to  send  to  Boston.' 

In  1670,  Joseph  Coker  was  licensed  by  the  count/  court  'to  make 
sturgeon  in  order  to  transport.'  In  1680,  September  twenty-eighth, 
the  records  of  the  county  court  inform  us,  that  '  Thomas  Rogers  [of 
Newbury]  is  licensed  to  make  sturgeon,  provided  he  shall  present 
the  court  with  a  bowle  of  good  sturgeon  every  Michaelmas  court.' 
In  1684,  '  Caleb  Moody  and  Daniel  Pierce  were  licensed  to  boil 
sturgeon  in  order  to  a  market.'  In  1733,  captain  Daniel  Lunt  of 
Newbury  was  ordered  to  sell  his  sturgeon  in  Boston  at  twelve  shil- 
lings per  keg,  '  if  he  could  get  no  more.'  In  the  same  year,  Mr. 
Daniel  Pierce  exchanged  fifteen  kegs  of  sturgeon  for  a  small  cask 
of  rum,  and  a  larke  cask  of  molasses. 

*  County  records.  t  Hampton  records.  }  Town  records. 

15 


114  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

The  following  petition  is  copied  from  the  original,  now  on  file 
among  the  papers  in  the  state  house,  Boston. 

1  To  the  honored  general  court  assembled  at  Boston  May  seventh,  1673. 

1  The  petition  of  William  Thomas  humbly  shewing, 

1  That  your  petitioner  after  sundry  experiments,  and  travels  into  foreign  coun- 
tries, upon  great  expence  of  his  estate,  hath  through  the  blessing  of  God  upon  his 
industry  herein,  attayned  unto  the  art  of  boyling  and  pickling  of  sturgeon,  by 
means  whereof  it  is  a  commoditie,  not  only  in  this  countrie,  but  in  England  and 
other  parts  for  transportation  and  increase  of  traffique  for  the  procuring  of  goods 
more  useful  and  needful  for  this  countrie,  and  may  so  .continue  and  increase,  if 
sundry  persons,  of  other  callings,  unskilful  in  that  mystery,  who  for  lucre  of 
monie  and  other  sinister  ends,  presume  to  deal  therein,  shall  not  cause  it  to  be 
debased  and  of  no  value  for  transportation,  as  indeed  by  that  means  it  in  part 
already  is  (as  is  known  to  sundry  gentlemen  and  merchants  of  Boston)  to  the 
defamation  of  your  aged  petitioner,  and  damage  of  the  countrie,  who  now  in  the 
seventy-fourth  year  of  his  pilgrimage,  hath  his  whole  dependance  under  God 
for  the  subsistence  of  his  family  upon  that  employment,  who  if  he  were  not 
forestalled  and  circumvented  by  others  might  live  comfortably,  and  also  afford 
some  yearly  revenue  to  the  countrie,  but  some  there  are,  that  by  hooke  or  crooke, 
for  strong  liquors  or  otherwise,  that  finger  the  fish  taken  for  and  by  the  Indians 
procured  and  employed  by  your  petitioner,  and  that  oft  times  upon  payments 
fore  made  for  the  same,  and  if  he  were  not  undermined  and  interrupted  therein 
by  interlopers  and  other  unskilful  persons,  it  might  be  beneficial  both  to  him 
and  the  countrie. 

1  His  humble  petition  therefore  is  that  henceforth  no  man  be  suffered  to  pickle 
or  put  upp  any  sturgeon  for  trade  or  traffique  directly  or  indirectly  within  this 
jurisdiction  but  such  as  by  lawful  authoritie  shall  be  licensed  thereto  on  certain 
penalties,  as  title,  innkeepers  or  otherwise  and  that  there  may  l?e  some  skilful 
men  impowered  and  sworn  to  search  all  such  sturgeon  as  shall  be  packed  or 
putt  up  in  any  kind  of  vessels  whatsoever,  and  to  refuse  all  such  as  they  shall  find 
defective  for  transportation  or  continuance  at  least  the  year  about.  And  such 
and  such  only  shall  be  sufficient  in  all  respects  for  traffique  as  aforesaid  to  mark 
with  the  letters  of  their  arid  the  sturgeon  boiler's  names.  And  that  it  may  be 
lawful  for  any  man  knowing  of  any  sturgeon  put  upp  as  for  trade  or  traffique, 
that  is  not  so  marked,  to  inform  any  searchers  or  constables,  and  that  they  may 
seize  upon  it  as  forfeited,  one  third  to  the  informer,  one  third  to  the  officer  seiz- 
ing, and  the  other  third  to  the  treasurer  of  the  county  where  it  shall  be  found. 

*  And  your  petitioner  farther  humbly  prayeth  that  ne  may  be  licensed  for  the 
counties  of  Essex  and  Norfolk  during  his  own  and  his  wife's  life,  being  aged 
and  altogether  uncapable  of  any  other  way  of  subsistence  or  service  in  town  or 
countrie,  which  favour  being  granted  your  petitioner  will  cheerfully  pay  "to  the 
treasury  or  otherwise  as  this  honored  court  shall  appoint  either  ten  kegs  of  stur- 
geon yearly  or  every  twentieth  keg  and  firken  by  him  made  from  time  to  time 
or  the  true  value  thereof  at  every  year's  end  namely,  the  twenty-ninth  of  Sep- 
tember annually,  and  as  duty  binds  him  shall  daily  pray  and  so  forth. 

WILLIAM  THOMAS. 

Newbury,  May  seventh,  1673.' 

Of  the  result  of  this  petition  we  are  not  informed.  Probably  it 
was  not  granted,  as  we  find  in  1674  that  '  Peter  Toppan  was  li- 
censed to  make,  boyl  and  sell  sturgeon,'  and  William  Chandler  was 
appointed  searcher  and  sealer  of  sturgeon,  by  the  county  court. 

December  2d,  1673.  '  A  committee  was  chosen  for  the  building 
of  Mr.  [John]  Richardson's  house  and  to  carry  it  on  to  the  finishing 
of  if* 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  115 

By  this  it  appears  that  the  town  had  determined  to  settle  Mr. 
Richardson  as  their  minister,  though  he  was  not  ordained  till  Octo- 
ber, 1675.  He  probably  commenced  preaching  early  in  this  year, 
and  might  have  been  instrumental  in  settling  the  difficulties,  which 
had  agitated  the  church  and  town  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, as  we  hear  of  no  difficulty  between  the  church  and  minister, 
subsequent  to  the  autumn  of  1672.  The  situation  of  the  church 
and  people  of  Newbury,  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  here,  undoubtedly 
occasioned  the  peculiarity  of  his  language  in  his  conditions  of  set- 
tlement, which  were  :  '  first,  so  long  as  the  people  of  God  here  do 
continue  in  the  profession  of  the  true  faith  and  peace  of  the  gospel 
as  in  Acts  11 :  42 ;  second,  so  long  as  I  may  have  the  liberty  of  my 
ministry  among  them ;  and  third,  discharge  my  duty  to  my  family. 
Thus  I  say  I  do  express  myself  willing  to  settle  among  you  with  a 
true  intention  and  a  true  affection.'  * 

'JoHN  RICHARDSON.' 

« August  fifteenth,  1675.' 

*  The  liberty  of  the  ministry,'  says  the  reverend  doctor  Popkin,  'is 
an  expression  frequently  used  in  the  histories  of  the  puritans  :  and 
appears  to  be  opposite  in  signification  to  that  restraint,  under  which 
they  were  held  by  ecclesiastical  authority.' 

'  Francis  Thorlay  was  presented  for  striking  his  brother  Thomas 
and  flinging  stones  at  him.'  He  was  fined  ten  shillings  and  costs 
of  court  f 

1674. 

1  March  2d.  It  was  voted  that  the  finishing  of  the  house  for  the 
ministry  and  the  alteration  of  it  is  left  to  the  selectmen.'  J 

March  28th.  *  It  was  voted  that  captain  Gerrish,  Mr.  Daniel 
Pierce  and  Tristram  Coffin  should  lay  out  the  six  acres  formerly 
granted  to  build  a  house  on  and  to  make  a  pasture  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  future  ministry,  that  part  for  the  building  of  the  house 
to  be  on  the  side  next  to  captain  Gerrish's  orchard  and  the  rest  of 
the  said  six  acres  to  be  laid  out  next  Richard  Brown's  pasture.'  J 

'December  6th.  Reverend  John  Richardson  was  admitted  a 
member  of  the  church  in  Newbury.'  This  is  the  earliest  fact 
recorded  in  the  church  book,  all  the  preceding  transactions  having 
been  destroyed  apparently  by  design.  Until  the  settlement  of  Mr. 
Richardson  the  records  are  in  the  handwriting  of  William  Chandler. 

In  the  latter  end  of  this  year,  a  converted  Indian,  named  John 
Sausaman,  acquainted  the  governor  of  Plymouth  that  the  profane 
Indians  were  plotting  mischief  againt  the  English,  and  expressed  his 
apprehension  that  they  would  murder  him.  This  apprehension  was 
realized,  as,  before  the  close  of  the  winter,  he  was  murdered  by 
three  Indians,  who  were  afterward  tried  and  executed. 

*  Church  records.  t  County  records.  J  Town  records. 


116  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 


1675. 

March  1st.  'A  committee  of  two  was  appointed  to  complete  the 
finishing  the  ministry  house  and  fencing  about  said  house.  Warn- 
ing was  also  given  by  the  selectmen  for  every  person  to  appear  with 
carts  and  oxen  and  hands,  and  tools  suitable  to  bring  stones  and  so 
forth  and  every  person  not  having  oxen  is  to  appear  in  person  to 
help  forward  the  work  and  so  forth.'  # 

April  13th.  *  It  was  voted  that  the  piece  of  meadow  above  Mr. 
Sewall's  farm,  the  meadow  at  Trotter's  bridge,  a  piece  at  Lob's 
pound  and  two  parcels  of  salt  marsh  about  three  acres  near  Pine 
island  should  be  laid  out  to  the  ministry  house  for  the  use  of  Mr. 
Richardson  while  he  continues  our  minister,  and  so  forth.'  # 

May  1th.  '  There  was  laid  out  to  Richard  Dole  six  rods  and  a 
quarter  upon  the  point  of  land  that  lies  between  the  two  gutters, 
that  come  from  the  point  of  rocks  near  Watts'  his  cellar  about  two 
rods  in  breadth  bounded  by  the  river  on  the  north  to  about  a  foot 
upon  the  rock  that  is  there  on  the  south  and  three  rods  in  length  by 
the  water  side  and  so  forth  adjoyning  to  the  former  grant'  ^ 

This  piece  of  land  was  between  the  market  house  in  Newburyport 
and  Mr.  George  T.  Granger's  store. 

June  18th.  It  was  ordered  that  all  non-freeholders  should  *  pay 
for  every  horse  going  on  the  commons  five  shillings,  for  every  neat 
beast  two  shillings  and  sixpence,  for  every  score  of  sheep  five  shil- 
lings, for  every  swine  twelve  pence  and  for  every  load  of  wood  two 
shillings  and  sixpence  for  the  use  of  the  town.'  # 

October  5th.  The  town  voted  that  they  would  not  fortify  '  the 
meeting  house,  but  voted  that  they  would  buy  a  couple  of  field  pie- 
ces about  seven  or  eight  hundred  apiece.'^ 

October  20th.  Reverend  John  Richardson  was  ordained.  His 
salary  was  to  be  one  hundred  pounds  a  year.  Each  person  was  to 
pay  '  his  proportion  as  followeth,  one  half  in  merchantable  barley, 
the  rest  in  merchantable  pork,  wheat,  butter  or  Indian  corn,  or  such 
pay  paid  unto  Mr.  Richardson  to  his  satisfaction,  as  every  person 
may  understand  upon  inquiry  of  Tristram  Coffin,'  who  was  chosen 
in  April  *  the  town's  attorney  to  gather  Mr.  Richardson's  rates  and 
in  case  the  said  Tristram  Coffin  shall  neglect  his  trust  herein,  he 
shall  pay  forty  shillings  fine  to  the  selectmen.'^ 

November  12th.  Henry  Short  was  appointed  schoolmaster.  He 
is  to  have  five  pounds  for  the  first  half  year  and  to  have  sixpence 
a  week  for  every  scholar. 

In  the  month  of  June  this  year  the  three  Indians  were  executed, 
who  murdered  John  Sausaman.  On  the  twenty-fourth  of  June  was 
shed  the  first  English  blood,  in  what  was  afterward  called  Philip's 
wTar.  On  that  day,  nine  Englishmen  were  murdered  in  Swanzy,  by 
the  Indians,  as  they  were  returning  from  the  meeting  house,  it  being 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  117 

the  day  appointed  as  a  day  of  humiliation  and  prayer  throughout 
Plymouth  colony,  who  being  thus  unexpectedly  involved  in  trouble, 
sent  to  the  other  colonies  lor  assistance.  On  June  twenty-sixth, 
soldiers  marched  from  Boston  to  Plymouth.  On  the  twenty-ninth, 
a  day  of  humiliation  and  prayer  was  appointed  on  account  of  the 
war.  The  men  prest  from  Newbury,  were  as  follows,  namely : 

August  5th.  Steven  Greenleaf,  Thomas  Smith,  John  Toppan, 
Caleb  Richardson,  Daniel  Rolf,  John  Hobbs,  Daniel  Button,  John 
Wheeler,  and  Henry  Bodwell,  nine  men  and  fourteen  days'  provis- 
ions. 

August  6th.    Seven  more  were  prest  and  fourteen  days'  provisions. 

August  27th.  Seven  men  were  prest,  fourteen  days'  provisions, 
twenty-three  bosses,  saddles,  and  bridles. 

September  23d.     Two  men  and  two  days'  provisions. 

September  27th.  Five  men,  ten  days'  provisions,  and  twenty- 
three  horses,  saddles,  and  bridles,  were  pressed  for  th^  country's 
service. 

September  29th.     Richard  Kent's  man  was  pressed. 

December,  1675.  Twenty-four  men  were  pressed  for  the  coun- 
try's service,  being  in  all  forty -eight  men,  and  forty-six  horses,  for 
this  year. 

The  town  expenses  for  this  year  were  very  great 

The  minister's  rate  was     103  pounds,  17  shillings,  1  penny. 

The  expenses  for  the  war,  457       "         18         "        8  pence. 

The  town  debt  was  191       "  3         "        9      " 

Beside  other  expenses,  not  included  in  the  above. 

At  the  battle  fought  December  nineteenth,  at  the  Indians'  fort  in 
Narraganset,  '  four  men  were  slayne,'  of  whom  Daniel  Rolfe  was 
from  Newbury,  and  eighteen  wounded,  of  whom  Daniel  Somerby, 
Isaac  Ilsley,  Jonathan  Emery,  "William  Standley,  and  Jonathan 
Harvey  were  from  Newbury. 

Daniel  Somerby  was  the  only  son  of  Henry  Somerby.  Before 
he  marched  against  the  Indians 'he  made  his  will,  and  soon  after 
his  return  died  of  his  wounds. 


1676- 

January  2d.     Thirteen  men  were  impressed. 

June  9th.  Town  voted  to  purchase  a  barrel  of  powder  and  fif- 
teen hundred  flints. 

June  21st.  The  town  appointed  Henry  Short <  to  keep  school  for 
this  year,  from  the  first  of  May  last,  to  the  first  of  May  next,  and 
the  selectmen  engage  to  pay  him  ten  pounds  out  of  the  next  town 
rate,  and  if  the  number  be  about  twenty  scholars,  he  is  to  teach 
them  at  the  watch  house.'^ 

Henry  Short  taught  the  grammar  school.     In  his  old  note  book 

*  Town  records. 


118  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

I  find  the  following  account  of  scholars,  commencing  thus :  '  when 
I  kept  school  at  home  and  the  time  they  [the  scholars]  came.'  Here 
follow  the  names  of  seventeen  scholars,  from  May  tenth  to  Decem- 
ber twenty-fifth. 

The  following  extract  from  the  colonial  records  presents  to  the 
reader  as  lively  a  picture  of  the  anxiety  and  distress  among  the 
people  of  Massachusetts,  occasioned  by  the  bold  arid  daring  deter- 
mination of  king  Philip  and  his  Indian  allies  to  extirpate  the  Eng- 
lish, as  can  well  be  imagined.  The  proposition  to  erect  a  fortifica- 
tion of  such  a  length  and  height,  shows  the  desperation,  to  which 
they  were  reduced,  and  the  dangers  to  which  they  felt  exposed. 

1  At  a  court  held  in  Boston  March  twenty-third,  1676. 

1  Whereas  several  considerable  persons  have  made  application  to  us  and  pro- 
posed it  as  a  necessary  expedient  for  the  publick  welfare  and  particularly  for 
the  security  of  the  whole  county  of  Essex  and  part  of  Middlesex  from  inroads  of 
the  common*  enemy,  that  a  line  or  fence  of  stockades  or  stones  (as  the  matter 
best  suiteth)  be  made  about  eight  feet  high  extending  from  Charles  river  where 
it  is  navigable  unto  Concord  river  from  George  Farley's  house,  in  Billerica.  which 
fence  the  council  is  informed  is  not  in  length  above  twelve  miles,  a  good  part 
whereof  is  already  done  by  large  ponds  that  will  conveniently  fall  into  the  line 
and  so  forth,  and  so  forth,  by  which  means  the  whole  tract  will  be  environed 
for  the  security  and  safety  (under  God)  of  the  people,  their  houses,  goods  and 
cattel  from  the  rage  and  fury  of  the  enemy.7 

The  court  then  orders  one  able  and  fit  man  from  each  of  the 
included  towns  to  meet  at  Cambridge  on  March  thirty-first,  to  sur- 
vey the  ground,  estimate  the  expense,  and  so  forth,  and  so  forth,  and 
bring  their  report  in  writing  how  it  may  be  prosecuted  and  effected, 
what  each  town  should  pay,  and  so  forth. 

Nearly  all  the  towns  made  a  report. 

That  from  Newbury  is  as  follows,  namely : 

1  At  a  meeting  of  the  selectmen  of  Newbury  March  1675-6. 
1  We  having  taken  it  into  consideration  what  the  honored  council  hath  pro- 
pounded unto  us  as  to  the  fortifying  from  Merrimack  river  and  so  to  Charlestown 
river,  we  conceive  it  not  feasible  nor  answering  the  end  propounded,  but  leave 
it  to  the  consideration  of  wiser  than  ourselves,  conceiving  this  to  be  difficult 
in  doing  it  or  mayntaining  it  when  done,  but  rather  think  it  will  most  conduce 
to  our  safety  to  have  a  sufficient  company  of  men  that  may  range  to  and  fro  as  our 
honored  council  judge  meet.  We  have  ordered  several  nouses  to  be  garrisoned 
and  fortified  and  men  appointed  and  are  about  fortifying  with  a  mile  or  some- 
what more  from  river  to  river  most  of  our  plow  lands  and  houses,  if  men  will 
own  our  power  (as  we  hope  will  be)  with  their  own  and  our  endeavours  to  com- 
pleate  our  trust. 

WILLIAM  GERRISH,     '    STEVEN   GREENLEAF, 
WILLIAM  TITCOMB,         PETER  CHENEY, 
BENJAMIN  ROLFE;  FRANCIS  PLUMER, 

Selectmen. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  119 


1677. 

March  5th.  l  Captain  [Paul]  White  proposed  for  about  a  rod  of 
land  at  the  hanging  of  the  hill  before  his  still  house  in  the  street.'  # 

I  Marchant  [Richard]  Dole  proposed  for  liberty  to  build  a  dock 
about  Watts  his  cellar,  and  as  many  of  the  town  as  were  willing  to 
help  him  about  it,  he  will  accept  of  their  help.'  ^ 

March  21th.  At  the  county  court  at  Salem,  'Joshua  Richardson, 
Caleb  Richardson,  and  Edward  Ordway  were  sentenced  to  be 
severely  whipt  or  pay  a  fine  of  ten  pounds  each,  for  breaking  into 
the  meeting  house,  demolishing  a  pew  chairs  and  so  forth.' 

It  appears  by  the  town  records  that  the  selectmen  had  granted 
permission  to  several  young  women  to  build  *  a  new  seat  in  the  south 
corner  of  the  women's  gallery.' 

This  pew  or  new  seat,  from  some  now  unknown  cause,  excited 
the  indignation  or  anger  of  these  young  men,  who,  having  demol- 
ished the  seat,  chairs,  and  so  forth,  were  tried,  convicted,  and 
sentenced. 

The  following  testimonies  in  the  case  are  copied  from  the  files  of 
the  county  court  in  Salem. 

1  Testimony  of aged  forty -five  years. 

I 1  dow  testify  consaming  the  [mischiefj  att  the  meting  hows  that  the  meting 
hows  windowse  weare  brocken  open  severall  times  and  the  dore  was  dabid 
with  a  sarrowans  and  the  ceay  holt  [key  hole]   dabid  allso.     There  was  a  sar- 
rowans  pute  in  the  come,  which  was  pute  in  the  meting  hows  lowft  for  safety, 
which  was  in  a  cask  in  the  chambear.' 

•  T  dow  testify  that  I  saw  Joshua  Richardson  uppon  Wensday  the  wery  next 
day  after  the  pue  or  new  seate  was  brocken  doun  the  last  of  January  last  past. 
I  on  purpos  towck  wery  good  notis  of  him  and  to  my  onderstanding  he  did  goo 
ass  weall  att  that  time  ass  hee  youste  to  due  att  other  times,  without  any  limp- 
ing or  a  going  lambe  that  I  could  perseaif.' 

Another  testimony  declares,  that  the  window  was  fastened  with 
1  tow  hapsis,'  and  that  the  '  glass  was  broken  in  pessis.' 

April  22d.  Seventy-six  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of  Newbury 
petitioned  the  court  to  mitigate  their  fines. 

*  We  do  not  know,'  say  they,  '  that  any  of  the  young  men  have 
been  detected  of  open  crimes,  have  been  diligent  and  laborious  to 
promote  and  support  their  parents,  who  stand  in  need  of  their  help, 
they  have  endured  hardships  and  adventured  their  lives  and  limbs 
for  their  country,  they  have  openly,  ingenuously  and  solemnly  made 
acknowledgment  of  their  offence  before  many  assembled  "to  that 
end,'  and  so  forth,  and  so  forth. 

April  2\th.     Reverend  Thomas  Parker  died. 

Captain  William  Gerrish  was  ordered,  April  fifteenth,  by  major 
general  D.  Denison  to  march  to  Salisbury  with  forty  of  his  best 
men,  well  armed,  and  so  forth,  and  again/ May  first,  \vith  twenty 
men  to  Portsmouth.  Expenses  were  five  hundred  pounds. 

*  Town  records. 


120  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

Judge  'Sewall,  in  his  diary,  under  date  of 'July  eighth,  1677,  has 
the  following.  i  A  female  quaker  [Margaret  Brewster]  in  sermon 
time  came  in  a  canvass  frock,  her  hair  dishevelled,  loose  like  a  peri- 
wigg.  her  face  as  black  as  ink,  led  by  two  other  quakers,  and  two 
other  quakers  followed.  It  occasioned  the  greatest  and  most  ama- 
zing uproar  that  ever  I  saw.'  She  had  previously  taken  off  her 
stockings  and  shoes,  and  left  them  in  the  porch  of  the  meeting-house,^ 
under  the  care  of  John  Easton,  son  of  Nicholas  Easton,  formerly 
of  Newbury.  John  was  afterward  governor  of  Rhode  Island. 

September  2\.sl.  The  town  desired  captain  Gerrish  to  propose  to 
'  Ipswich  court  that  Thomas  Thorla's  ordinary  may  be  put  down.'  f 

The  town  chose  a  committee  ( to  hire  a  schoolmaster,'  and 
voted  to  give  him  twenty  pounds  a  year  '  for  encouragement  besides 
what  they  shall  agree  upon  for  the  children  that  shall  come  to  school 
to  him.'  f 

From  an  old  account  book  I  learn  that  this  year  turnips  and  ap- 
ples were  a  shilling  a  bushel,  a  day's  mowing,  two  shillings  and  two 
pence,  men's  wages  for  a  year  ten  pounds,  women's  wages  from 
four  to  five  pounds,  board  four  shillings  per  week,  and  labor  two 
shillings  a  day. 

Thanksgiving,  November  third,  on  account  of  a  plentiful  harvest 
and  a  cessation  of  the  wrath  and  rage  of  the  enemy. 


1678. 

March  kth.  '  Concerning  building  of  a  dock,  it  was  granted, 
provided  that  all  boats  that  belong  to  the  town  shall  have  free  liberty 
of  egresse  and  regress  to  lie  there  as  occasion  may  serve.'  f 

This  was  probably  the  dock  for  which  Richard  Dole  petitioned, 
as  in  September  '  a  committee  was  chosen  to  conclude  the  business 
between  marchant  Dole  and  the  town  about  his  dock.' 

September  20th.  The  committee  appointed  for  that  purpose  laid 
out  '  to  Richard  Dole  senior  a  parcel  of  land  lying  near  Watts  his 
cellar,  where  he  is  now  building'  a  wharf  and  dock"*  three  rods  broad 
from  the  east  side  of  the  west  gutter  to  a  stake  near  to  the  great 
rock  with  the  flats  adjoining  thereto  excepting  two  rods  in  breadth 
upon  the  easterly  point  of  upland,  which  is  to  lie  for  a  perpetual 
high  way  for  the  town's  use  to  the  dock  for  to  unlade  hay,  wood, 
timber,  boards,  or  any  thing  else,  which  is  produced  in  or  upon  the 
river,  it  not  being  imported  from  or  exported  to  the  sea,  We  also 
do  grant  the  town's  title,  right  and  interest  to  the  point  of  land  on  the 
northerly  side  thereof,  which  is  commonly  known  by  the  name  of 
captain  White's  point  and  so  forth  and  the  said  Dole  is  to  set  a 
wharf  against  the  two  rod  that  is  appointed  for  a  way  for  the  town's 
use.'  f 

November  22d.     Town  voted  to  continue  the  '  twenty  pounds  a 

*  Old  South,  Boston.  t  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OP    NEWBURY.  121 

year  to  the  schoolmaster,'  and  i  that  Mr.  Richardson,  so  long  as  he 
carries  on  the  whole  work  of  the  ministry  among  us,  shall  have 
twenty  pounds  a  year  added  or  two  contributions,  which  he  pleases 
to  accept.'  ^ 

December  22d.  Town  voted  that  *  Thorlay's  bridge  should  be 
built  at  the  town's  charge  as  the  court  gave  them  liberty.'  *  v 

<  Judith  Thorla  was  fined  for  selling  liquor  to  the  Indians  on  the 
Lord's  day.' 

In  this  year  a  new  brick  building  was  erected  at  Cambridge  as  a 
college  building.  It  was  erected  by  subscription.  Newbury  gave 
thirty-three  pounds  and  three  shillings.  Rowley  forty-five'  pounds, 
and  Ipswich  eighty  pounds. 

November  12th.  The  town  granted  to  John  Emery,  junior,  twelve 
acres  of  land,  beginning  at  Artichoke  river,  on  condition  that  he 
build  a  grist  mill. 

November  26th.  In  answer  to  a  petition  of  the  selectmen,  New- 
bury was  allowed  to  build  a  firm  and  safe  'bridge.'^  The  toll  ca 
penny  for  a  man  and  three  pence  for  a  horse.' 

'  The  wife  of  John  Davis  of  Lynn  was  presented  for  breaking  her 
husband's  head  with  a  quart  pot  and  otherways  abusing  him.' 

This  year  all  persons  over  sixteen  years  of  age  were  required  to 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance.X  A  list  of  their  names  from  every  town_ 
in  the  county  of  Essex  is  in  the  county  records.  That  of  Newbury 
contains  the  names  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-six  persons,  with  their 
ages  affixed  by  Mr.  John  Woodbridge,  who  administered  the  oath 
in  September.  In  no  other  list  are  the  ages  given. 


1679. 

March  3d.  '  The  town  granted  to  John  Emery  junior  twelve 
acres  of  land  on  the  west  side  of  Artichoke  river  provided  he  build 
and  maintain  a  corn  mill  to  grind  the  town's  corn  from  time  to  time 
and  to  build  it  within  one  year  and  a  half  after  the  date  hereof  and 
so  forth.'  =fc 

In  compliance  with  the  law  the  selectmen  chose  fourteen  tything 
men,  each  of  whom  had  a  specific  duty  to  do  respecting  a  designa- 
ted number  of  families,  generally  ten,  all  living  in  the  same  neigh- 
borhood, and  classed  by  the  selectmen.  After  making  the  arrange- 
ment, they  sent  a  note  to  each  of  the  tything  men,  informing  them  of 
their  appointment,  and  of  the  families  committed  to  their  care.  A 
copy  of  one  of  these  notes,  found  among  the  papers  of  the  late 
deacon  Abraham  Merrill,  is  here  subjoined. 

1  To  deacon  Abraham  Merrill. 

1  At  a  meeting  of  the  selectmen  March  thirty-first,  1679. 

'  You  are  hereby  required  to  take  notice  that  you  are  chosen  according  to 
court  order  by  the  selectmen  to  bee  a  tithing  man  to  have  inspection  into  and 

*  Town  records. 

16 


122  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

look  over  these  familes  that  they  attend  the  publick  worship  of  God,  and  do  not 
break  the  sabbath,  and  further  you  are  to  attend  as  the  court  order  declares. 

'  The  names  of  the  families  are  Edward  Woodman  junior,  Samuel  Bartlet, 
Richard  Bartlet,  Abel  Pilsbury,  John  Stevens,  Christopher  Bartlet,  Thomas 
Chase,  goodman  Bailey,  John  Chase. 

By  order  of  the  selectmen. 
ANTHONY  SoMERBy,  Recorder.' 

May  21st.  A  committee  of  twelve  men  was  appointed,  c  to  con- 
sult of  a  way  for  dividing  of  the  upper  commons  if  it  be  possible 
so  to  agree  that  the  town  may  like  of  it.'  ^ 

May  2Sth.  The  selectmen  petitioned  to  the  general  court  respect- 
ing Plum  island,  in  which  they  say  that  the  inhabitants  '  of  Rowley 
having  sold  their  parts  to  several  of  Newbury  and  some  of  Ipswich, 
so  that  the  whole  island  now  is  in  the  occupation  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Ipswich  and  Newbury,  who  make  improvement  by  cutting  the 
grass,  and  some  of  Ipswich  by  planting  some  small  parcels  thereof, 
and  by  reason  of  the  impossibility  to  part  the  island  by  fencing,  and 
the  proprietors  of  Ipswich  by  reason  thereof  finding  themselves 
much  damnified  in  that  their  marshes  were  trodden  to  dirt  and  al- 
most utterly  spoiled  by  a  multitude  of  horses  and  other  cattle  put 
thereon  by  those  of  Newbury  in  the  winter  to  live  of  what  they  can 
get  and  suffered  there  to  continue  till  the  middle  of  May,  if  not  lon- 
ger which  will  unavoidably  (as  experience  hath  taught  us)  be  the 
ruin  and  utter  destruction  of  the  whole  island,  the  horses  and  cattle 
eating  up  the  grass,  that  grows  upon  the  sand  hills,  which  gives  a 
stop  to  the  running  of  the  sands  in  stormy  weather,  which  other- 
wise would  in  a  very  short  space  cover  all  the  marshes,  as  we  have 
found  at  Castle  neck.  Wherefore  we  beseech  this  honored  court  to 
prohibit  the  patting  or  going  of  any  horses,  cattle  and  so  forth  upon 
the  said  island  and  so  forth  and  so  forth.' 

August  29th.  *  Town  voted  to  new  clapboard  and  repair  the 
minister's  house,  and  dig  a  well.?  ^ 

December  24th.  Mr.  Daniel  Davison  proposed  to  have  6  liberty  to 
make  a  building  dock  about  Watts  his  cellar.'  %• 

This  year  is  rendered  memorable  by  the  commencement  of  the 
only  recorded  case  of  supposed  witchcraft,  in  Newbury,  that  was 
ever  subjected  to  a  legal  investigation.  The  principal  sufferer  in 
this  tragi-comedy,  for  so  it  might  well  be  called,  was  Elizabeth 
Morse,  who,  with  her  husband,  William  Morse,  a  shoemaker,  resided 
in  a  house,  still  standing,  at  the  head  of  Market  street,  in  [now] 
Newburyport.  He  was  then  sixty-five  years  of  age,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  a  very  worthy,  but  credulous,  unsuspecting  man,  and 
consequently  a  very  easy  dupe  to  the  impositions  practiced  upon 
him.  Not  suspecting  any  deception,  the  good  man  readily  attributed 
all  his  troubles  and  afflictions  to  the  supernatural  agency  of  witch- 
craft, instead  of  watching  the  actions  of  those  around  him,  especially 
of  a  roguish  grandson,  who  jived  with  him.  At  that  time,  especially, 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  123 

a  belief  in  witchcraft  was  almost  universal,  and  afforded  a  ready 
solution  of  every  thing  strange  and  unintelligible.  No  one  appears 
to  have  suspected  the  boy  as  the  author  of  any  part  of  the  mischief, 
except  one  Caleb  Powell.  Believing  from  what  he  had  seen,  that 
the  whole  affair  was  the  result  of  human  agency,  with  nothing 
supernatural  or  marvelous  about  it,  he  informed  goodman  Morse 
that  he  believed  he  could  ascertain  the  cause  of  his  trouble,  and 
develop  the  whole  mystery.  The  better  to  conceal  his  purpose,  he 
affected,  as  will  be  hereafter  seen,  to  have  a  knowledge  of  astrology 
and  astronomy,  and  if  he  only  had  another  learned  man,  and  said 
Morse's  grandson  with  him,  the  whole  truth  would  come  to  light. 
The  consequence  was,  that  suspicions  of  witchcraft,  and  of  dealing 
in  the  black  art,  fell  upon  him.  He  was  accused,  tried,  and  narrowly 
escaped  with  his  life,  thus  affording  another  proof  of  the  danger 
arising  to  any  person,  in  being,  or  pretending  to  be,  wiser  than  his 
neighbors. 

That  the  whole  affair  may  be  understood,  the  evidence,  and  so 
forth,  taken  from  the  court  records  in  Salem,  is  here  subjoined. 

December  3d,  1679.  'Caleb  Powell  being  complained  of  for  suspicion  of 
working  with  the  devill  to  the  molesting  of  YVilliam  Morse  and  his  family,  was 
by  warrant  directed  to  the  constable,  brought  in  by  him,  the  accusations  and 
testimonies  were  read  and  the  complaint  respited  till  the  Monday  following.7 

December  8tk,  Monday.  '•  Caleb  Powell  appeared  according  to  order  and  farther 
testimony  produced  against  him  by  William  Morse,  which  being  read  and  con- 
sidered, it  was  determined  that  the  said  William  Morse  should  present  the  case 
against  Caleb  Powell  at  the  county  court  to  be  held  at  Ipswich  the  last  Tuesday 
in  March  following  and  in  order  hereunto  William  Morse  acknowledgeth  him- 
self indebted  to  the  treasurer  of  the  county  of  Essex  the  full  summe  of  twenty 
pounds. 

'  The  condition  of  this  obligation  is  that  the  sayd  William  Morse  shall  prose- 
cute his  complaint  against  Caleb  Powell  at  that  time. 

1  Caleb  Powell  was  delivered  as  a  prisoner  to  the  constable  till  he  find  security 
of  twenty  pounds  for  the  answering  of  the  sayd  complaint,  or  else  he  was  to  be 
cast  into  prison. 

JOHN  WOODBRIDGE,  Commissioner.' 

The  following  is  a  specimen  of  the  testimony  against  him. 

I  John  Badger  affirmeth  that  Caleb  Powell  said  that  he  thought  by  Astrologie, 
and  I  think  he  said  by  Astronomic  too  with  it  he  could  find  out  whether  or  no 
there  were  diabolicall  means  used  about  the  said  Morse  his  trouble,  and  that  the 
said  Caleb  said  hee  thought  to  try  to  find  it  out.' 

Anthony  Morse's  testimony. 

I 1  Anthony  Mors  ocationlly  being  att  my  brother  Morse's  hems,  my  brother 
showed  me  a  pece  of  a  brick,  which  had  several  tims  come  down  the  chimne. 
I  sitting  in  the  cornar  towck  the  pece  of  brik  in  my  hand.     Within  a  littell  spas 
of  tiem  the  pece  of  brik  was  gon  from  me  I  know  not  by  what  nJfeanes.    Quickly 
aftar.  the  pece  of  brik  came  down  the  chimne.     Also  in  the  chimny  cornar  I 
saw  a  hamar  on  the  ground.     Their  being  no  person  near  the  hamar  it  was  sod- 
enly  gone  ;  -by  what  meains  I  know  not.  but  within  a  littell  spas  after,  the  hamar 
came  down  the  chimny,  and  within  a  littell  spas  of  tiem  aftar  that,  came  a  pece 


124  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

of  woud,  about  a  fute  loung?  and  within  a  littell  after  that  came  down  a  fiar 
brend,  the  fiar  being  out.     This  was  about  ten  deays  agoo. 
Newbury  December  eighth,  1679. 

Taken  on  oath  December  eighth,  1679  before  me 
JOHN  WOODBRIDGE;  Commissioner.' 

December  5th,  1679.  l  The  testimony  of  William  Mors  and  his  wife,  which 
they  both  saw  one  last  Thursday  night  my  wife  and  I  being  in  bed  we  heard  a 
great  noies  against  the  ruf  with  stekes  and  stones  throwing  against  the  hous 
with  great  vialanse  whereupon  I  myselfe  arose  and  my  wife  and  saw  not  anny 
body,  but  was  forsed  to  retunie  into  the  house  againe,  the  stones  being  thrown 
so  vilantly  aganst  us  we  gooing  to  bed  againe  and  the  same  noies  in  the  hus  we 
Lock  the  dore  againe  fast  and  about  midnight  we  heard  a  grete  nayes  of  A  hoge 
in  the  house  and  I  arcs  and  found  a  grete  hoge  in  the  huse  and  the  dore  being 
shut.  I  opened  the  dore  the  hoge  running  vilently  out.  The  next  morning  a 
Stek  of  Lenkes  hanging  in  the  Chemney  fast  I  saw  Com  Down  vilintly  and  not 
anny  body  ner  to  them  and  Jumped  up  upon  A  Chaire  before  the  fire  ;  I  hanged 
them  up  again  and  they  Com  down  again  into  the  fire.  The  next  day  I  had  an 
Aule  in  the  window,  which  was  taken  away  I  know  not  how  and  Com  Dune 
the  chimney.  I  take  the  same  ale  and  put  into  a  Cubard  and  fasened  the  Dore. 
The  same  ale  Com  Down  3  or  4  times.  We  had  a  basket  in  the  Chamber  Com 
Doun  the  Chemney.  I  tooke  it  up  myselfe  and  laide  it  before  me,  it  was  Sud- 
inly  taken  away  I  know  not  how  and  Com  dune  the  Chimney  againe.  I  then 
took  a  brick  and  put  into  it  and  said  it  shold  cary  that  away,  if  it  ded  goo  up 
againe.  It  was  taken  away  I  know  not  how  and  Com  dune  the  Chemney  and 
the  brick  a  Letel  after  it.  One  Saturday  next  Corn  stekes  on  Light  fire  dune 
Chimney  and  stones,  and  then  my  'awls  taken  away  from  me  4  times  as  I  used 
them  and  Com  Douen  the  Chemney  4  times.  My  nailes  in  a  cover  of  A  ferkin 
Com  douen  the  Chemney  againe.  The  dore  being  Locked  I  heard  a  hoge  in 
the  house  I  let  alone  until  day  and  found  it  to  bee  one  of  my  owne,  willing  to 
goo  out.  The  next  day  being  Sabath  Stekes  and  stones  were  thrown  viliantly 
[down]  the  Chemney.  One  Munday  next  Mr.  Richeson  and  annother  saw  many 
things.  I  sent  my  boy  to  se  if  nothing  was  amis  in  my  barne.  I  not  being 
abel  to  tey  my  Catel  up  to  ni^htes  but  stel  being  untied  with  many  other  strange 
thinges,  the  frame  being  thrown  Downe  upon  the  boy :  We  all  run  out  to  help 
him  in. 

'  When  we  Com  in  we  saw  a  Coten  whele  turned  with  the  Leges  upward  and 
many  thinges  set  up  on  it  as  a  Stale  and  a  Spade  Lick  the  form  of  a  ship. 
Potes  hanging  over  the  fire  Dashing  one  against  the  other  I  being  forsed  to 
unhang  them.  We  saw  A  andiron  dance  up  and  dune  many  times  and  into  a 

?ot  and  out  againe  up  atop  of  a  tabal,  the  pot  turning  over  and  Speling  all  in  it. 
saw  a  tube  turn  over  with  the  hop  fling  of  it.  I  sending  my  boy  to  fech  my 
toles,  which  I  doe  mak  Ropes  with,  so  soone  as  the  dore  being  opened  thay 
Com  viliantly  Doune  of  themselves.  Againe  a  tub  of  bred  Com  dune  from  a 
Shelufe  and  turned  over.  My  wife  went  to  make  the  bed  the  Clothes  Ded  fly  of 
many  times  of  themselves,  and  a  Chest  open  and  Shut  and  Dores  fli  together. 
My  wife  going  into  the  Seler  thinges  tumbling  dune  and  the  dore  fling  together 
vialintly.  I  being  at  prayer  my  hed  being  Cufred  with  A  Cloth  A  Chaire  did 
often  times  bow  to  me  and  then  Strike  me  on  the  side.  My  wife  Corn  out  of 
the  other  rome  A  wege  of  Iron  being  thrown  at  her,  and  A  spade,  but  [did]  not 
rech  her,  and  A  stone,  which  hurt  her  much,  I  seting  by  the  fire  with  my  wife 
and  to  more  neighbours  with  us  A  stone  Struk  against  the  Lampe  and  struk  it 
out  many  times,  and  a  shoo,  which  we  saw  in  Chamber  before  Com  doune  the 
Chemney  the  Dore  being  shut  and  struk  me  A  blow  one  the  hed,  which  ded 
much  hurte.  A  mate  of  A  ship  Coming  often  to  me  and  said  he  much  grefed 
for  me  and  said  the  boye  was  the  case  of  all  my  truble  and  my  wife  was  much 
Ronged,  and  was  no  wich,  and  if  I  would  let  him  have  the  boye  but  one  day 
he  would  warrant  me  no  more  truble.  I  being  persuaded  to  it  he  Com  the  nex 
day  at  the  brek  of  day,  and  the  boy  was  with  him  untel  night  and  I  had  not  any 
truble  since} 

The  preceding  testimony  is  in  the  handwriting  of  William  Morse. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  125 


1680. 

January  5th.  '  The  town  granted  liberty  to  ensign  [Stephen]  Green- 
leaf  and  Mr.  [Daniel]  Davison  to  build  a  wharf  at  the  point  of  rocks 
above  Watts  his  cellar,  to  be  threescore  feet  in  front  at  high  water  mark 
and  so  down  to  low  water  mark,  provided  the  inhabitants  of  the  town 
shall  have  liberty  to  land  wood  or  hay  or  other  goods  so  that  the  said 
goods  be  not  above  twenty-four  hours,  neither  at  any  time  to  do  them 
damage.'  ^ 

At  the  same  meeting  Nathaniel  Clarke,  doctor  John  Dole,  Rich- 
ard Dole,  Benjamin  Rolf,  and  Robert  Coker  in  '  the  behalf  of  his 
son  Benjamin  Coker,  each  proposed  for  a  place  to  make  a  wharfe.'* 

February  6th.  '  Joseph  Pike  was  chosen  to  gather  the  rest  of  the 
contribution  for  the  college.'  # 

March  1st.  The  town  granted  to  Nathaniel  Clarke  a  parcel  of 
the  flats  on  the  southeast  of  the  point l  of  rocks,  that  was  granted  to 
captain  White  provided  it  be  done  within  three  years.-'  # 

The  town  also  voted  to  grant  the  proposition  of  '  Benjamin  Rolf, 
doctor  John  Dole  and  Richard  Dole  for  four  or  five  rods  on  the  flats 
from  Watts  cellar  spring  to  ensign  GreenleaPs  for  a  place  to  build 
a  wharf  and  a  place  to  build  vessels  upon  provided  they  come  not 
within  ten  or  twelve  feet  of  the  spring  and  make  up  said  wharf 
within  three  years'  and  so  forth.*1 

March  2-Wi.     Sixteen  tithing  men  were  chosen.*1 

At  the  March  term  at  Ipswich  court  the  following  additional  tes- 
timony was  produced  in  the  case  of  Caleb  Powell,  taken  February 
twenty-seventh,  1680. 

'  Sarah  Hale  aged  thirty-three  and  Joseph  Mirick  testify  that  Joseph  Moores 
hath  often  said  in  their  hearing  that  if  there  were  any  wizards,  he  was  sure 
Caleb  Powell  was  one.' 

NOTE.  This  Joseph  Moores  was  the  boatswain  of  the  ship,  of  which  Caleb  Powell 
was  mate,  and  Joseph  Dole,  captain. 

1  Deposition  of  Mary  Tucker  aged  about  twenty. 

1  She  remembereth  that  Caleb  Powell  came  into  their  house  and  sayd  to  this 
purpose  that  he  coming  to  William  Morse  his  house  and  the  old  man  being  at 
prayer  he  thought  not  fit  to  go  in.  but  looked  in  at  the  window  and  he  sayd  he 
had  broken  the  inchantment.  for  he  saw  the  boy  play  tricks  while  he  was  at 
prayer  and  mentioned  some  and  among  tlie  rest  that  he  saw  him  to  fling  the  sliooe 
at  the  old  man's  head} 

The  court,  after  reading  all  the  testimony  that  could  be  produced 
against  Caleb  Powell,  came  to  the  following  conclusion. 

1  Upon  hearing  the  complaint  brought  to  this  court  against  Caleb  Powell  for 
suspicion  of  working  by  the  devill  to  the  molesting  of  the  family  of  William 
Morse  of  Newbury,  though  this  court  cannot  find  any  evident  ground  of  pro- 
ceeding farther  against  the  sayd  Powell,  yett  we  determine  that  "he  hath  given 

*  Town  records. 


126  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

such  ground  of  suspicion  of  his  so  dealing  that  we  cannot  so  acquit  him  but 
that  he  justly  deserves  to  beare  his  owne  shame  and  the  costs  of  prosecution  of  the 
complaint.' 

1  It  is  referred  to  Mr.  Woodbridge  to  hear  and  determine  the  charges.' 

The  court  at  this  time  must  have  been  men  of  profound  wisdom 
and  accurate  discrimination,  as  they  appear  to  have  determined,  first, 
that  he  was  just  guilty  enough  to  pay  the  expense  of  being'Wspect- 
ed,  secondly,  that  he  ought '  to  bear  his  owne  shame,'  and,  thirdly,  that 
they  had  no  reason  to  believe  that  he  was  guilty  at  all.  This  some- 
what resembles  the  case,  which  is  not  found  in  the  books,  where  A. 
sues  B.  for  breaking  a  borrowed  kettle.  The  defence  was,  '  first  we 
never  had  the  kettle,  secondly,  it  was  broken  when  we  borrowed  it, 
and  thirdly,  it  was  whole  when  we  returned  it.' 

The  people,  however,  were  not  so  lenient  as  the  judges.  If  Ca- 
leb Powell  was  innocent,  some  other  person  must  be  guilty  of  '  be- 
ing instigated  by  the  divil,'  for,  in  their  opinion,  no  agency  merely 
human  could  produce  effects  so  strange  and  unaccountable.  They 
accordingly  selected  Elizabeth  Morse,  the  wife  of  William  Morse, 
as  the  guilty  person,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see. 

April  13th.  i  In  answer  to  the  proposition  of  Ipswich  inhabitants 
to  prohibit  all  sorts  of  cattle  from  going  any  more  on  Plum  island 
winter  or  summer,  the  town's  conclusion  is  that  they  do  not  consent 
to  such  an  act.'  ^ 

May  17th.  '  The  town  granted  Mr.  Richardson  twenty  pounds  in 
money,  and  forty  pounds  in  other  pay,  to  build  an  addition  to  the 
ministry  house,  and  so  forth.'  ^ 

May  19th.  On  petition  of  some  of  the  inhabitants  '  of  Newbury 
the  selectmen  were  authorised  to  raise  by  way  of  rate  sixty  pounds 
per  annum  to  be  to  the  use  of  the  schoolmaster  there.'  # 

June  28th.  ^  Governor  Bradstreet  thus  writes  to  England.  '  The 
principal  townes  of  trade  within  our  government  are  Boston, 
Charlestown  and  Salem.  Some  little  trade  there  is  for  country 
people  at  Ipswich,  Newbury  and  so  forth. 

*  The  number  of  merchants  in  the  colony  is  nearly  forty,  and 
about  one  hundred  or  one  hundred  and  twenty  ships,  sloops,  ketches 
and  other  vessels.' 

(  At  a  court  of  assistants  on  adjournment  held  at  Boston  May  twentieth  1680. 

1  The  grand  Jury  presenting  Elizabeth,  wife  of  William  Morse  senior.  She 
was  indicted  by  the  name  of  Elizabeth  Morse  for  that  she  not  having  the  fear 
of  God  before  her  eyes,  being  instigated  by  the  Divil  and  had  familiarity  with 
the  Divil  contrary  to  the  peace  of  our  sovereign  lord  the  king,  his  crown  and 
dignity,  the  laws  of  God,  and  of  this  jurisdiction,  after  the  prisoner  was  at  the 
barr  and  pleaded  not  guilty,  and  put  herself  on  God  and  the  country  for  triall, 
the  evidences  being  produced  were  read  and  committed  to  the  jury." 

'The  jury  brought  in  their  verdict.  They  found  Elizabeth  Morse,  the 
prisoner  at  the  barr,  guilty  according  to  indictment.  The  governor  on  the 
twenty-seventh  of  May  after  ye  lecture  pronounced  ye  sentence. 

'  Elizabeth  Morse,  you  are  to  goe  from  hence  to  the  place  from  whence  you 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  127 

came  and  thence  to  the  place  of  execution  and  there  to  be  hanged  by  the  neck, 
till  you  be  dead,  and  the  Lord  have  mercy  on  your  soul. 

•The  court  was  adjourned  diem  per  diem  and  on  the  first  of  June  1680  the 
governor  and  magistrates  voted  the  reprieving  of  Elizabeth  Morse  condemned 
to  the  next  session  of  tke  court  in  October  as  attests. 

EDWARD  RAWSON,  Secretary? 

It  appears  from  the  record,  that  the  reprieve  was  not  agreeable  to 
the  deputies,  who,  on  assembling  in  November,  thus  complain : 

'  The  deputies  on  perusal  of  the  acts  of  the  honorable  court  of  assistants 
relating  to  the  woman,  condemned  for  witchcraft  doe  not  understand  why  exe- 
cution of  the  sentence  given  against  her  by  said  court  is  not  executed  and  that 
her  second  repreevall  seems  to  us  to  be  beyond  what  the  law  will  allow  and 
doe  therefore  judge  meele  to  declare  ourselves  against  it  with  reference  to  the 
concurrence  of  our  honored  magistrates  hereto. 

WM.  TORRE  Y   Cleric. 
November  third,  1680. 

Not  consented  to  by  the  magistrates. 
EDWARD  RAWSON,  Secretary.1 

No  record  gives  us  any  farther  information  concerning  Elizabeth 
Morse  this  year. 

August  18th.  '  The  selectmen  ordered  that  Anthony  Morse 
should  every  sabbath  day  go  or  send  his  boy  to  Mr.  Richardson 
and  tell  him  when  he  is  going  to  ring  the  last  bell  every  meeting 
and  for  that  service  is  to  have  ten  shillings  a  year  added  to  his 
former  annuity.'  * 

October  22d.  <  It  was  agreed  that  Mr.  Burly  should  keep  school 
in  the  watch  house.'  * 

The  Essex  regiment  was  divided  into  two,  to  be  commanded  by 
major  N:  Saltonstall,  and  major  D.  Denison.  Newbury  to  have 
two  companies,  and  Ipswich  three. 

This  year,  Thorlas  bridge  was,  on  the  petition  of  Rowley  people, 
made  a  county  bridge. 

1681. 

The  case  of  Elizabeth  Morse,  who  had  been  reprieved  by  the  gov- 
ernor, was  again  brought  before  the  general  court,  to  whom  William 
Morse,  her  husband,  sent  two  petitions,  the  one  on  May  fourteenth, 
in  the  elegant  handwriting  of  William  Chandler  of  Newbury,  ihe 
other  on  May  eighteenth,  in  the  handwriting  of  major  Robert  Pike 
of  Salisbury,  who  was  the  next  year  chosen  one  of  the  assistants. 

His  first  petition  is  as  follows. 

c  To  the  honored  generall  court  now  sitting  in  Boston. 

1  The  humble  petition  of  William  Mors  in  behalfe  of  his  wife,  Elizabeth 
Mors  your  distressed  Prisoner,  humbly  begging  this  that  you  would  be  pleased 
to  give  your  petitioner  leave  to  present  to  your  consideration  what  may  clere  up 
the  truth  in  those  evidences  wch  hath  bin  presented  and  what  is  otherwise  as 
first.  To  Joseph  Bayley  his  testimony.  Wee  are  ignorant  of  any  such  thing. 

*  Town  records. 


128  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

Had  it  bin  then  spoken  of,  we  might  have  cleared  ourselves.  He  might  have 
observed  some  other  as  my  wife,  it  being  a  frequent  thing  for  Catle  to  be  at  a 
stand. 

1  To  Jonathan  Haines.  As  to  his  Catle,  or  himselfe,  not  making  good  work 
at  such  a  time,  when  Catlft  are  haggled  out,  to  place  it  on  such  account)  yt  his 
neglect  in  not  bringing  us  a  bow  of  mault  was  the  cause,  which  had  it  bin  spo- 
ken of  wee  might  have  given  full  satisfaction. 

1  To  Caleb  Moody.  As  to  what  befell  him  in  and  about  his  not  seeing  my 
wife,  yt  his  cow  making  no  hast  to  hir  calfe,  wch  wee  are  ignorant  of,  it  being 
so  long  since,  and  being  in  church  communion  with  us,  should  have  spoken  of 
it  like  a  Christian  and  yn  proceeded  so  as  wee  might  have  given  an  answer  in 
less  time  yn  tenn  yeares.  Wee  are  ignorant  yt  he  had  a  shepe  so  dyed.  And 
his  wife  knowne  to  be  a  pretious  godly  whoman,  yt.  hath  oftne  spoken  to  hir 
husband  not  to  be  so  uncharitable  and  have  and  doe  carry  it  like  a  Christian 
with  a  due  respect  in  hir  carridge  towards  my  wife  all  along. 

*  To  John  Mighill.  About  ye  loss  of  his  catle  was  yt  he  came  one  day  to 
worke,  and  would  have  had  him  come  another  day  to  finish  it  because  ye  raine 
came  in  so  upon  us,  and  his  not  coming,  judges  my  wife  was  angry  and  yrfore 
had  such  loss,  wch  wee  never  knew  of.  This  being  twelve  yeares  agoe  did 
amaze  us  now  to  here  of  it. 

1  To  Zachariah  Davis.  To  sensure  my  wife  now  for  not  bringing  quills  aboute 
sixteen  yeares  agoe  yt  his  loss  of  calfes  was  for  that,  when  his  father  being  in 
communion  with  us  did  profess  it  to  us  yt  he  judged  it  a  hand  of  God  and  was 
farr  from  blaming  us  but  rather  troubled  his  sonn  should  so  judge. 

'  To  Joshua  Richardson  loosing  a  shepe  and  his  taking  it  forth  off  our  yard, 
my  wife  should  say  you  might  have  asked  leave,  and  whether  overdriving  it  or 
what,  now  to  bring  it  in  I  hope  will  be  considered. 

'  To  John  March  Test.  He  heard  John  Wells  his  wife  say  she  saw  imp  o7  God 
into  said  Morss  howse.  She  being  prosecuted  would  not  owne  it  and  was  ad- 
judged to  pay  damages,  and  now  this  is  brought  in. 

'  To  James  Browne  Test,  yt  one  day  George  Wheeler  going  forth,  my  wife 
should  say  for  a  trifle  she  knew  he  should  not  come  in  againe,  which  my  wife 
knowes  not  of  it,  nor  doth  some  of  ye  owners  ever  remember  such  a  thing  as  to 
judge  or  charge  it  on  hir,  but  now  is  broughi  forth  sixteen  yeares  after  when  his 
wife  said  to  goody  Hale  yt  said  /Browne  was  mistaken.  Hir  husband  did  come 
home  well  that  voyage;  and  that  James  Browne  should  say  to  Robert  Bedell  yt 
yt  Powell,  whom  wee  sued  did  put  in  these  words  and  not  himselfe  in  the  test 
and  yt  said  Browne  did  oune  to  his  unkle  Mr.  Nicholas  Noyes  yt  he  could  not 
sware  to  such  a  test ;  and  did  refuse  to  doe  it  before  Mr.  John  Woodbridge,  and 
Mr.  Woodbridge  did  admire  he  had  sworne  to  it.  And  for  his  seeing  my  wife 
amongst  troopers.  What  condition  he  might  be  in  wee  leave  it  to  consideration. 
Wee  are  ignorant  of  such  a  thing  till  now  brought  in  so  many  yeares  agoe  as 
he  saith. 

1  To  good  wife  Ordway.  Hir  child  being  long  ill,  my  wife  coming  in  and 
looking  on  it,  pitting  of  it,  did  feare  it  would  dy,  and  when  it  dyed  Israeli  Web- 
ster our  next  neighbour  heard  not  a  word  of  it,  nor  spoken  of  by  others,  nor  any 
of  ye  family,  but  hir  conceite,  and  now  brought  in. 

1  As  for  William  Chandler's  test,  aboute  his  wife's  long  sickness  and  my 
wife's  visiting  hir,  she  through  hir  weakness  acted  uncivilly  and  yet  now  to 
bring  in  against  my  wife,  when  for  so  many  yeares  being  in  full  communion 
with  us  never  dealt  with  us  aboute  any  such  thing,  but  had  as  loving  converse 
with  him  as  Christians  ought,  and  knew  no  otherwise  till  now. 

( To  widow  Goodwin  hir  having  hir  child  sick,  gave  forth  yt  it  was  bewitched 
by  my  wife,  as  she  thought ;  wee  hearing  of  it  dealt  with  hir  aboute  it,  and  she 
brake  forth  in  teares,  craving  forgiveness,  and  said  it  was  others  put  hir  upon  it 
to  say  as  she  did,  but  now  urged  by  Powell  to  say  as  she  now  saith. 

1  To  John  Chase  so  saying  yt  he  saw  my  wife  in  the  night  coming  in  at  a  little 
hole,  and  ye  like,  when  he  himselfe  hath  said  he  did  not  know  but  he  was  in  a 
dreame,  and  yt  unto  several  persons  he  hath  so  said,  though  now  as  he  test., 
when  my  wife  disowns  any  such  thing. 

1  To  John  Glading  yt  saw  halfe  of  my  wife  about  two  a  clocke  in  ye  day  time, 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  129 

if  so  might  then  have  spoken,  and  not  reserved  for  so  long  a  time,  which  she 
utterly  denies  it,  nor  know  of  any  such  thing,  where  she  should  be  at  yt  time 
as  to  clere  hir  selfe. 

'  To  William  Fanning  should  say  my  boy  said  the  devill  was  at  his  howse. 
Upon  Fanning's  saying  to  the  boy  ye  devill  was  at  their  howse,  and  he 
would  have  me  chide  ye  boy,  which  I  tould  said  Fanning  ye  boy  might  be 
instructed  to  know  ye  devill  was  every  where  though  not  as  at  our  howse,  and 
should  not  in  time  of  affliction  upbraid  him  to  our  griefe. 

1  To  Jonathan  Woodman,  seeing  a  catt,  and  so  forth,  he  struck  at  it,  and 
it  vanisht  away  and  I  sending  for  doctor  Dole  to  see  a  bruise  my  wife  had  by 
the  fall  of  a  peece  reching  downe  some  bacan  in  our  chimly,  which  was  many 
days  before  this  time,  as  doctor  Dole  affirms  it  was  no  green  wound,  though 
neglected  to  send  for  said  Dole  till  then. 

'  To  Benjamin  Lowle  about  my  boy's  ketching  a  pidgin  ;  my  boy  desired  of 
me  to  see  to  ketch  a  pidgin,  by  throwing  a  stone,  or  ye  like,  and  he  brought  a 
pidgin,  which  I  affirm  was  wounded,  though  alive. 

1  To  good  wife  Miricke  about  a  letter.  My  wife  telling  her  somewhat  of  ye 
letter,  which  she  judges  could  not  be  and  my  wife  hearing  of  it  there  was  a 
discourse  and  so  forth  aboute  this  love  letter,  might  speake  something  about  it  by 
guess,  and  not  by  any  such  way  as  she  judged,  and  many  have  spoken,  guess- 
ing at  things,  which  might  be. 

1  As  to  our  troubles  in  ye  howse  it  hath  bin  dreddfull,  and  afflictive  and  to 
say  it  ceased  upon  hir  departure,  when  it  ceased  before  for  a  time  and  after  she 
was  gone  there  was  trouble  againe. 

1  As  to  rumors  of  some  great  wickedness  committed  in  ye  house,  which  should 
cause  ye  divill  so  to  trouble  us,  our  conscience  is  clere  of  ye  knowledge  of  any 
such  thing  more  than  our  common  frailtyes  and  I  reverence  the  holy  sourainty 
of  God  in  laying  such  affliction  on  us.  and  that  God's  servants  may  be  so  afflic- 
ted in  this  manner  as  hath  bin  knowne.  And  that  Mr.  Wilson  of  Ipswich, 
where  she  hath  bin  twenty-eight  weekes,  did  declare  to  me  yt  my  wife's  con- 
versation was  christian-like  as  far  as  he  observed.  Thus  praying  for  you  in 
this  and  all  other  your  conceraes,  am  your  distressed  servant. 

WILLIAM  MORSE. 

Newbury  May  fourteenth  1681.' 

From  the  preceding  petition  of  William  Morse,  and  his  attempted 
answers  to  the  accusations  and  charges  brought  against  his  wife 
Elizabeth,  and  sent  to  the  general  court,  it  appears  that  seventeen 
persons  had  given  in  their  testimony  in  writing,  stating  their  reasons 
why  they  verily  believed  goody  Morse  was  really  a  witch,  and  ought 
to  be  hung,  according  to  the  old  Mosaic  law,  which  says, c  thou  shalt 
not  suffer  a  witch  to  live.'  Of  these  testimonies  only  one  is  to  be 
found  on  the  files  of  the  general  court.  If  this  one  is  a  fair  speci- 
men of  the  whole,  the  loss  of  the  remainder  is  not  greatly  to  be 
regretted,  except  as  a  specimen  of  the  logic  of  that  day,  and  of  the 
manner  in  which  some  of  our  ancestors  stated  their  premises,  and 
drew  thence  their  most  profound  conclusions.  It  is  here  presented 
entire,  and  if  it.  does  not  most  conclusively  prove  that  Elizabeth 
Morse  was  guilty  of  witchcraft,  and  ought  not  to  have  been  suffered 
to  live,  it  will  only  furnish  another  evidence  that  belief  and  demon- 
stration are  not  identical,  and  that  what  is  sincerely  believed  is  not 
for  that  reason  always  true.  Zechariah  Davis  thus  testifies  verbatim 
and  literatim. 

1  When  I  lived  at  Salisbury,  William  Morses'  wife  asked  of  me  whether  I 
could  let  her  have  a  small  passell  of  winges  and  I  told  her  I  woode,  so  she 
17 


130  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

would  have  me  bring  them  over  for  her  the  next  time  I  came  over,  but  I  came 
over  and  did  not  think  of  the  winges,  but  met  goody  Morse,  she  asked  me 
whether  I  had  brought  over  her  winges  and  I  tel  her  no  I  did  not  thinke  of  it, 
so  I  came  3  ore  4  times  and  had  them  in  my  minde  a  litel  before  I  came  over 
but  stil  forget  them  at  my  coming  away  so  meting  with  her  every  time  that  I 
came  over  without  them  aftar  I  had  promised  her  the  winges,  soe  she  tel  me 
she  wonder  at  it  that  my  memory  should  be  soe  bad,  but  when  I  came  home  I 
went  to  the  barne  and  there  was  3  cafes  in  a  pen.  One  of  them  fel  a  danceing 
and  roreing  and  was  in  such  a  condition  as  I  never  saw  on  cafe  in  before,  but 
being  almost  night  the  cattle  came  home  and  we  put  him  to  his  dam  and  he 
sucke  and  was  well  3  or  4  dayes,  and  on  of  them  was  my  brothers  then  come 
over  to  Nubery,  but  we  did  not  thinke  to  send  the  winges,  but  when  he  came 
home  and  went  to  the  barne  this  cafe  fel  a  danceing  and  roreing  so  \vee  put 
him  to  the  cowe,  but  he  would  not  sucke  but  rane  a  roreinge  away  soe  wee  gate 
him  againe  with  much  adoe  and  put  him  into  the  barne  and  we  heard  him  roer 
severall  times  in  the  night  and  in  the  morning  I  went  to  the  barne  and  there  he 
was  seting  upon  his  taile  like  a  doge,  and  I  never  see  no  cafe  set  aftar  that 
manner  before  and  so  he  remained  in  these  fits  while  he  died.' 

Taken  on  oath  June  seventh,  1679. 

From  the  date  of  the  preceding  testimony,  it  is  evident  it  was 
used  in  the  county  court  prior  to  the  transfer  of  the  case  to  the 
state  tribunals.  On  the  eighteenth  of  May,  William  Morse  pre- 
sented the  following  petition. 

c  To  the  honored  governor,  deputy  governor,  magistrates  and  deputies  now 
assembled  in  court  May  the  eighteenth  1681. 

'The  most  humble  petition  and  request  of  William  Morse  in  behalf  of  his 
wif  (now  a  condemned  prisoner)  to  this  honored  court  is  that  they  would  be 
pleased  so  far  to  hearken  to  the  cry  of  your  poor  prisoner,  who  am  a  condemned 
person,  upon  the  charge  of  witchcraft  and  for  a  wich,  to  which  charge  your 
poor  prisoner  have  pleaded  not  guilty,  and  by  the  mercy  of  God  and  the  good- 
ness of  the  honored  governor,  I  am  reprieved  and  brought  to  this  honored  court, 
at  the  foot  of  which  tribunal  I  now  stand  humbly  prayinp  your  justis  in  hearing 
of  my  case  and  to  determine  therein  as  the  Lord  shall  direct.  I  do  not  under- 
stand law,  nor  do  I  know  how  to  lay  my  case  before  you  as  I  ought,  for  want  of 
which  I  humbly  beg  of  your  honors  that  my  request  may  not  be  rejected,  but 
may  find  acceptance  with  you  it  being  no  more  but  your  sentence  upon  my 
triall  whether  I  shall  live  or  dy,  to  which  I  shall  humbly  submit  unto  the  Lord 
and  you. 

William  Morse  in  behalf  of  his  wife 
ELIZABETH  MORSE.' 

For  reasons,  which  do  not  appear  on  the  records,  the  deputies 
had  changed  their  minds,  and,  instead  of  being  dissatisfied  with  her 
respite,  were  willing  to  grant  another  hearing  of  the  case.  This 
the  magistrates  opposed.  In  the  court  record  it  is  thus  stated  : 

*  The  deputyes  judge  meet  to  grant  the  petitioner  a  hearing  the  next  sixth 
day  and  that  warrants  goe  forth  to  all  persons  concerned,  from  this  court  then 
to  appear  in  order  to  her  further  triall  our  honored  magistrates  hereto  con- 
senting. 

WM.  TORREY,  Cleric. 
May  twenty-fourth;  1681. 

Not  consented  to  by  the  magistrates. 
EDWARD  RAWSON,  Secretary.' 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  131 

The  following  additional  testimony,  taken  from  the  county  files, 
is  here  presented,  as  necessary  to  a  full  understanding  of  the  whole 
case.  It  is  in  the  handwriting  of  John  Woodbridge,  esquire,  and 
was  undoubtedly  copied  by  him  from  the  original,  written  by 
William  Morse "  himself,  and  should  have  been  inserted  in  1679. 
The  curious  reader  will  be  much  amused  in  comparing  this,  and 
the  preceding  testimony  of  William  Morse,  with  the  report  of  the 
same  case,  made  by  Increase  Mather  in  his  '  Remarkables,'  and 
especially  that  made  by  Cotton  Mather,  in  volume  second,  pages  391 
and  392'  of  the  Magnalia.  In  that  '  wonderful '  book,  the  latter 
gentleman  perverts  and  amplifies  the  testimony  to  a  'prodigious 
and  nefandous '  extent.  If  his  '  fourteen  astonishing  histories '  in 
his  '  Thaumatographia  Pneumatica,'  have  been  as  much  indebted 
to  his  imagination  for  the  dress  which  they  now  wear,  as  that  of 
William  Morse,  it  is  no  wonder  that  Mr.  Savage,  in  his  appendix 
to  Winthrop,  volume  first,  page  417,  says  of  him,  that  '  instead  of 
weighing  evidence,  [he]  had  not  discretion  enough  to  be  trusted  to 
wipe  the  scales.' 

(  The  testimony  of  William  Morse,  which  saith  together  with  his  wife  aged 
both  about  sixty-five  yeeres,  that  Thursday  night  being  the  twenty-seventh  day 
of  November,  we  heard  a  great  noyes  without  round  the  house  of  knocking  the 
boards  of  the  house  and,  as  we  conceived,  throwing  of  stones  at  the  house, 
whereupon  myselfe  and  wife  lookt  eut  and  saw  no  body  and  the  boy  all  this 
time  with  us,  but  we  had  stones  and  sticks  thrown  at  us  that  we  were  forced  to 
retire  into  the  house  againe,  afterwards  we  went  to  bed  and  the  boy  with  us 
and  then  the  like  noyes  was  upon  the  roof  of  the  house. 

1  The  same  night  about  midnight  the  doore  being  lockt  when  we  went  to  bed, 
we  heard  a  great  hog  in  the  house  grunt  and  make  a  noyes,  as  we  thought 
willing  to  gett  out,  an cT  that  we  might  not  be  disturbed  in  our  sleep  I  rose  to  let 
him  out,  and  I  found  a  hog  in  the  house  and  the  doore  unlockt.  The  doore  was 
firmly  lockt  when  we  went  to  bed. 

'  The  next  morning  a  stick  of  links  hanging  in  the  chimney,  they  were 
thrown  out  of  their  place,  and  we  hanged  them  up  againe  and  they  were 
thrown  downe  againe  and  come  into  the  fire. 

'  The  night  following  I  had  a  great  awle  lying  in  the  window,  the  which 
awle  we  saw  fall  downe  out  of  the  chimney  into  the  ashes  by  the  fire. 

1  After  this  I  bid  the  boy  put  the  same  awle  into  the  cupboard,  which  we  saw 
done  and  the  doore  shut  to.  this  same  awle  came  presently  downe  the  chimney 
againe  in  our  sight,  and  I  took  it  up  myselfe.  Againe  the  same  night  we  saw 
a  little  Indian  baskett,  that  was  in  the  loft  before,  came  downe  the  chimney 
againe  and  I  took  the  same  baskett.  put  a  piece  of  brick  in  it,  and  the  baskett 
with  the  brick  was  gone,  and  came  downe  againe  the  third  time  with  the  brick 
in  it  and  went  up  againe  the  fourth  time  and  came  downe  againe  without  the 
brick,  and  the  brick  came  downe  a  little  after. 

c  The  next  day  being  Saturday,  stones,  sticks  and  pieces  of  bricks  came 
downe  so  that  we  could  not  quietly  eat  our  breakfast,  and  sticks  of  fire  also 
came  downe  at  the  same  time. 

1  That  same  day  in  the  afternoon  my  thread  four  times  taken  away  and  came 
downe  the  chimney  againe  ;  my  awle  and  a  gimlett  wanting,  came  downe  the 
chimney.  Againe  my  leather  taken  away  came  downe  the  chimney.  Againe 
my  nailes  being  in  the  cover  of  a  ferkin  taken  away,  came  downe  the  chimney. 

1  The  next  day  being  Sunday  many  stones  and  sticks  and  pieces  of  bricks 
came  down  the  chimneye.  On  Monday  Mr.  Richardson  [the  minister]  and  my 
brother  being  there,  the  frame  of  my  cow  house  they  saw  very  firme,  I  sent  my 
boy  to  skare  the  fowles  from  my  hogs'  meat.  He  went  to  the  cow  house  and  it 


132  HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY. 

fell  downe,  my  boy  crying  with  the  hurt  of  the  fall.  In  the  afternoone  the  potts 
hanging  over  the  fire,  did  dash  so  vehemently  one  against  the  other,  we  sett 
downe  one  that  they  might  not  dash  to  pieces.  I  saw  the  andiron  leap  in  to  the 
pott  and  dance,  and  leap  out,  and  againe  leap  in  and  dance,  and  leap  out  againe, 
and  leap  on  a  table  and  there  abide,  and  my  wife  saw  the  andiron  on  the  table. 
Also  I  saw  the  pott  turn  itselfe  over  and  throw  down  all  the  water.  Againe  we 
saw  a  tray  with  wool  leap  up  and  downe  and  throw  the  wool  out  and  saw  no 
body  meddle  with  it.  Againe  a  tub  his  hoop  fly  off,  of  itselfe  and  the  tub  turne 
over  and  no  body  neere  it  Againe  the  woolen  wheele  upside  downe  and  stood 
upon  its  end  and  a  spade  sett  on  it.  Stephen  Greenleaf  saw  it  and  myselfe  and 
wife.  Againe  my  rope  tooles  fell  downe  in  the  ground  before  my  boy  could 
take  them  being  sent  for  them  and  the  same  thing  of  nailes  tumbled  downe 
from  the  loft  into  the  ground  and  no  body  neere.  Againe  my  wife  and  the  boy 
making  the  bed,  the  chest  did  open  and  shutt,  the  bed  clothes  would  not  be 
made  to  ly  on  the  bed,  but  fly  off  againe. 

*  l  Thomas  Rogers  and  George  Hardy  being  at  William  Morse  his  house 
affirme  that  the  earth  in  the  chimney  corner  moved  and  scattered  on  them,  that 
Thomas  Rogers  was  hit  with  somewhat,  Hardy,  with  an  iron  ladle,  as  is  sup- 
posed. Somewhat  hitt  William  Morse  a  great  blow,  but  it  was  so  swift  that 
they  could  not  tell  what  it  was  but  looking  downe  after  they  heard  the  noyes 
they  saw  a  shoe.  The  boy  was  in  the  corner  at  first,  afterward  in  the  house. 

1  Mr.  Richardson  on  Saturday  testifyeth  that  a  board  flew  against  his  chaire 
and  he  heard  a  noyes  in  another  roome,  which  he  supposed  in  all  reason  to  be 
diabolicall. 

i  John  Dole  saw  a  large  fire  stick  of  candle  wood  to  fall  downe,  a  stone,  a  fire 
brand,  and  these  things  he  saw  not  whence  they  came,  till  they  fell  downe  by 
him. 

1  Elizabeth  Titcomb  aifirmeth  that  Powell  sayd  that  he  could  find  out  the 
witch  by  his  learning1,  if  he  had  another  scholar  with  him. 

1  John  Emerson  amrmeth  that  Powell  sayd  he  was  brought  up  under  Norwood 
and  it  was  judged  by  the  people  there  that  Norwood  studied  the  black  art.' 

In  another  paper  entitled  *  a  farther  testimony  of  William  Morse 
and  his  wife,'  he  states  that ;  we  saw  a  keeler  of  bread  turn  over  — 
a  chair  did  often  bow  to  me  and  rise  up  againe — the  chamber  door 
did  violently  fly  together  and  the  bed  did  move  to  and  fro  and  not 
any  body  neer  them.' 

He  also  states  that  the  cellar  door  did  violently  fly  down  and  a 
drum  rolled  over  it  —  his  '  barn  door  was  unpinned  four  times,  and 
going  to  shut  the  doore,  the  boy  being  with  me,  the  pin  (as  I  did 
judge)  coming  downe  out  of  the  aire  did  fall  down  neer  to  me.' 

1  Againe  Caleb  Powell  came  in  as  before  and  seeing  our  spirits  very  low  by 
the  sense  of  our  great  afflictions,  began  to  bemoane  our  condition  and  sayd  that 
he  was  troubled  for  our  affliction,  and  sayd  that  he  eyed  the  boy,  and  drawed 
neere  to  us  with  great  compassion,  poore  old  man,  poore  old  woman,  this  boy  is 
the  occasion  of  your  griefe,  for  he  does  these  things  and  hath  caused  his  good 
old  grandmother  to  be  counted  a  witch.  Then  sayd  I,  how  can  all  these  things 
be  done  by  him  ?  Then  sayd  he  although  he  may  not  have  done  all.  yet  most 
of  them,  for  this  boy  is  a  young  rogue,  a  vile  rogue.  I  have  watched  him  and 
see  him  do  things  as  to  come  up  and  downe. 

1  Caleb  Powell  also  said  he  had  understanding  in  Astrology  and  Astronomy 
and  knew  the  working  of  spirits,  some  in  one  country  and  some  in  another,  and 
looking  on  the  boy  said  you  young  rogue  to  begin  so  soone.  Goodman  Morse, 
if  you  be  willing  to  let  mee  have  the  boy,  I  will  undertake  you'  shall  be  freed 
from  any  trouble  of  this  kind  while  he  is  with  me.  I  was  very  unwilling  at 
the  first,  and  my  wife,  but  by  often  urging  me  to,  and  when  he  told  me  whither 
and  in  what  employment  and  company  he  should  goe,  I  did  consent  to  it  and 


HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY.  133 

we  have  been  freed  from  any  trouble  of  this  kind  ever  since  that  promise  made 
on  Monday  night  last  till  this  time  being  Friday  afternoone.' 

After  enumerating  a  great  variety  of  marvellous  exploits,  such  as 
'  hearing  a  great  noyes  in  the  other  roome,' — '  his  chaire  would  not 
stand  still  but  ready  to  throw  me  backward,' — *  my  cap  almost  taken 
off  my  head  three  times,'  — i  a  great  blow  in  my  poll,'  — '  the  catt 
thrown  at  my  wife  and  thrown  at  us  five  times,  the  lamp  standing 
by  us  on  a  chest,  was  beaten  downe,'  and  so  forth,  he  thus  con- 
cludes : 

1  Againe  a  great  noyes  a  great  while  very  dreadful.  Againe  in  the  morning 
a  great  stone  being  six  pounds  weight  did  remove  from  place  to  place.  We 
saw  it.  Two  spoones  throwed  off  the  table  and  presently  the  table  throwed 
downe,  and  being  minded  to  write,  my  ink  home  was  hid  from  me,  which  I 
found  covered  with  a  rag  and  my  pen  quite  gone.  I  made  a  new  pen  and 
while  I  was  writing,  one  eare  of  corne  hitt  me  in  the  face  and  fire  sticks  and 

stones  and throwed  at  me,  and  my  pen  brought  to  me.     While  I  was 

writing  with  my  new  pen,  my  ink-home  taken  away.  Againe  my  specticles 
thrown  from  the  table,  and  throwne  almost  into  the  fire  by  me,  my  wife  and 
the  boy.  Againe  my  booke  of  all  my  accounts  throwne  into  the  fire  and  had 
been  burnt  presently,  if  I  had  not  taken  it  up.  Againe  boards  taken  of  a  tub 
and  sett  upright  by  themselves,  and  my  paper,  do  what  I  could,  I  could  hardly 
keep  it,  while  T  was  writing  this  relation.  Presently  before  I  could  dry  my 
writing,  a  monmouth  hat  rubbed  along  it.  but  I  held  it  so  fast  that  it  did  blot 
but  some  of  it.  My  wife  and  I  being  much  afraid  that  I  should  not  preserve  it 
for  the  publick  use,  we  did  think  best  to  lay  it  in  the  bible  and  it  lay  safe  that 
night.  Againe  the  next  [night]  I  would  lay  it  there  againe,  but  in  the  morning 
it  was  not  to  be  found,  the  bag  hanged  downe  empty,  but  after  was  found  in  a 
box  alone.  Againe  while  I  was  writing  this  morning  I  was  forced  to  forbeare 
writing  any  more,  I  was  so  disturbed  with  so  many  things  constantly  thrown  at 
me. 

This  relation  taken  December  eighth,  1679.' 

On  the  court  records  I  find  nothing  more  concerning  Elizabeth 
Morse.  From  an  essay  on  witchcraft,  by  the  reverend  John  Hale, 
of  Beverly,  and  published  in  the  year  1697,  I  make  the  following 
extracts. 

1  She  [Elizabeth  Morse]  being  reprieved  was  carried  to  her  own  home  and 
her  husband  (who  was  esteemed  a  sincere  and  understanding  Christian  by  those 
that  knew  him)  desired  some  neighbour  ministers,  of  whom  I  was  one,  to  dis- 
course his  wife,  which  we  did,  and  her  discourse  was  very  Christian,  and  still 
pleaded  her  innocence  as  to  that,  which  was  laid  to  her  charge.  We  did  not 
esteem  it  prudence  for  us  to  pass  any  definitive  sentence  upon  one  under  her 
circumstances,  yet  we  inclined  to  the  more  charitable  side.  In  her  last  sickness 
she  was  in  much  trouble  and  darkness  of  spirit,  which  occasioned  a  judicious 
friend  to  examine  her  strictly,  whether  she  had  been  guilty  of  witchcraft,  but 
she  said  no,  but  the  ground  of  her  trouble  was  some  impatient  and  passionate 
^ speeches  and  actions  of  her  while  in  prison  upon  the  account  of  her  suffering 
'wrongfully,  whereby  she  had  provoked  the  Lord  by  putting  contempt  upon  his 
word.  And  in  fine  she  sought  her  pardon  and  comfort  from  God  in  Christ  and 
dyed  so  far  as  I  understand,  praying  to.  and  resting  upon,  God  in  Christ  for 
salvation.' 

It  was  owing,  we  believe,  to  the  firmness  of  governor  Bradstreet, 
that  the  life  of  Elizabeth  Morse  was  saved,  and  the  town  of  New- 


134 


HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY. 


bury  thus  prevented  from  offering  the  first  victim,  in  Essex  county, 
to  that  lamentable  spirit  of  delusion,  which  twelve  years  after  left  so 
dark  a  stain  on  its  annals. 

The  following  is  a  view  of  the  house  occupied  by  William 
Morse  and  family,  and  which,  in  the  language  of  the  excessively 
credulous  Cotton  Mather,  '  was  so  infested  with  demons '  in  1679, 
and  where,  '  before  the  devil  was  chained  up,  the  invisible  hand  did 
begin  to  put  forth  an  astonishing  visibility!'  The  house  is  still 
standing  at  the  corner  of  Market  street,  opposite  to  saint  Paul's 
church.  The  lot  on  which  it  stands  was  granted  to  William  Morse 
in  1645,  but  in  what  year  he  erected  it,  no  record  informs  us ;  but 
from  all  that  I  can  ascertain,  the  house,  or  at  least  a  part  of  it,  must 
have  been  erected  soon  after  the  lot  was  granted. 


March  8th.  The  town  granted  the  petition  of  John  Badger  for 
4  two  rods  of  land  over  against  his  house  to  set  up  a  mill  to  make 
oatmeal.'  This  mill  was  kept  in  operation  till  1810.  The  last 
proprietor  was  Mr.  Nicholas  Lunt,  who,  between  1763  and  1810, 
manufactured  thirty-seven  thousand,  five  hundred  and  sixty  bushels 
of  oatmeal. 

March  8th.  <  The  selectmen  (hearing  that  Jeremy  Goodridge 
and  his  family  was  in  a  suffering  condition)  sent  up  Joseph  Pike  to 
know  how  the  case  stood  with  him,  and  upon  his  inquirie  Jeremy 
Goodridge  told  him  he  was  in  a  way  to  get  a  house  of  his  owne 
and  for  provision  he  was  in  a  way  also  to  provide  for  himselfe,  for 
he  had  corne  paid  for,  which  he  hoped  he  should  have.  And  Joseph 
Pike  told  him  if  he  was  like  to  suffer  he  should  come  and  acquaint 
the  selectmen  with  it  and  they  would  make  him  supply.'  ^ 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  135 

'August  29th.  James  Merrick  chosen  sexton,  and  to  have  three 
pounds  and  ten  shillings  a  year  for  his  service.'  # 

'  October  12th.  It  was  voted  that  whereas  the  scholars  are  so  few 
that  such  as  come  to  learne  English  shall  pay  three  pence  a  week 
for  their  schooling.'  ^ 

October  19lh.  The  town  voted  to  impower  the  selectmen  to 
petition  the  general  court  to  grant  Mr.  Woodbridge  magi  strati  cal 
power.  In  their  petition  they  say,  among  many  other  things,  '  by 
reason  of  the  largeness  of  the  towne  and  frequent  concourse  of 
vessels  to  trade  among  us,  they  wish  to  have  Mr.  Woodbridge,  as 
he  is  the  fittest  and  most  able  for  such  a  work  in  this  place.' 

'November  28th.  The  town  voted  that  henceforth  the  general 
towne  meeting  should  be  the  first  Tuesday  in  March.'  * 


1682- 

Early  this  year,  a  small  baptist  church  was  formed  in  Newbury, 
as  appears  from  the  following  extract  from  the  records  of  the  first 
baptist  church  in  Boston. 

'  February  6th,  1681  -2.  [It  was]  agreed  upon  a  church  meeting 
that  we  the  church  at  Boston  have  assented  unto  the  settling  of  the 
church  at  Newbury.' 

The  persons  who  formed  this  church,  were,  probably,  George 
Little  and  Philip  Squire,  who  united  with  the  baptist  church  in 
Boston  in  1676,  Nathaniel  Cheney,  William  Sayer  and  wife, 
Benjamin  Morse  and  wife,  Mr.  Edward  Woodman  and  wife,  John 
Sayer,  and  Abel  Merrill,  all  of  whom  became  members  of  the  same 
church  in  1681.  All  these  were  residents  in  Newbury  at  that  time. 
This  comprises  all  the  information  that  I  can  find  on  the  subject. 

Among  the  papers  of  George  Little,  above-mentioned,  the  fol- 
lowing petition,  in  the  elegant  handwriting  of  William  Chandler, 
is  still  to  be  seen.  It  has  neither  date  nor  signature,  but  was 
probably  written  between  the  years  1661  and  this  year.  The  just- 
ness of  the  sentiments,  and  the  beauty  of  the  style,  warrant  the 
insertion  of  it  here. 

*  To  the  honored  generall  court. 

1  Whereas  wee  have  these  many  yeares  bin  preserved  by  the  good  providence 
of  God  under  a  peaceable  government  in  this  wildemesse  and  many  worthy 
things  have  by  you  bin  donne  unto  and  for  this  people,  which  we  acknowledge 
with  all  thankfulnesse,  notwithstanding,  may  it  please  you  to  take  notice  of 
some  greevance  of  many  of  the  people  of  God  in  this  country  which  lieth  on 
their  spirits,  respecting  some  streightnes  and  streightening  of  yt  Christian  liberty 
which  wee  think  ought  to  be  allowed  unto  all  Christians  houlding  the  founda- 
tion and  walking  orderly,  though  of  different  perswations,  namely,  to  worship 
God  according  to  their  owne  judgement  and  consciences  without  being 
restrained  to  the  judgements  of  others  by  human  laws ;  and  forasmuch  as  our 
gratious  king  is  pleased  in  his  letter  f  to  declare  (as  wee  apprehend)  that  a  prin- 
cipall  end  of  this  plantation  granted  is  yt  liberty  of  conscience  may  bee  heere 

*  Town  records.  t  September,  1661. 


136  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

enjoyed.  Wee  hope  therefore  it  will  be  noe  griefe  of  mind  to  you  to  consider 
of  it,  and  to  repeale  such  lawes  as  are  a  hinderance  or  restraining  in  any  respect 
to  ye  people  of  God  either  in  their  joining  together  in  church  fellowship  or 
exercising  in  the  ordinances  of  God  accordinge  to  ye  pure  gospel  rule.  Our 
humble  petition  is  that  all  such  laws,  as  occasion  or  cause  any  such  streightnes, 
restraint  or  hinderance  may  be  repealed,  and  that  such  Christian  liberty  may 
bee  allowed  and  confirmed,  the  which  wee  believe  will  tend  much  to  ye  glory 
of  God  in  ye  peace  and  settlement  of  his  people  heere.  And  soe  shall  wee 
pray  for  your  peace  and  remaine  (as  in  duty  wee  are  bound)  your  faithful  and 
humble  petitioners.7 

< March  22d.  The  selectmen  agreed  with  William  Bolton  to  keep 
the  dry  herd  and  to  come  upon  the  first  day  of  May  and  fetch  the 
cattle  and  drive  them  up  into  the  upper  commons^  and  so  forth  and 
William  Bolton  is  to  have  paid  him  by  the  owners  of  the  cattle 
sixpence  a  head  to  be  paid  in  malt  or  Indian  corne.' 

'  And  he  is  to  burrie  the  woods  and  to  make  up  the  fiatts'  fence 
and  for  that  he  shall  be  paid  fourteen  shillings.'  f 

'  At  a  legall  meeting  of  the  towne  April  nineteenth  1682. 

1  There  was  voted  to  go  to  Ipswich  to  subscribe  according  to 
court  order  about  Mr.  Mason's  clayme,  captain  Daniel  Pierce,  Mr. 
Richard  Dummer,  sergeant  [Tristram]  Coffin,  sergeant  [Caleb] 
Moody,  Mr.  John  Woodbridge,  Mr.  Henry  Sewall,  Nicholas  Noyes.' 

In  October,  the  general  court  renewed  the  license  of  Hugh  March 
to  keep  an  '  ordinary.'  In  his  petition  to  the  court,  he  states,  that 
4  the  town  of  Newbury  some  years  since  were  destitute  of  an  ordi- 
nary and  could  not  persuade  any  person  to  keep  it.  For  want  of 
an  ordinary  they  were  twice  fined  by  the  county  and  would  have 
been  fined  a  third  time  had  I  not  undertaken  it.  It  cost  me,'  says 
he,  '  one  hundred  and  twenty  pounds  to  repair  the  house,  and  more 
than  four  hundred  pounds  in  building  house,  barn,  stables  and  so 
forth.' 

March  22d.  '  It  was  ordered  that  all  swyne  that  goes  upon  the 
cow  commons  shall  be  ringed  under  the  penalty  of  twelve  pence 
a  head  and  so  forth  and  that  all  horses  and  horse  kind  and  dry 
cattle  shall  be  cleared  out  of  the  commons  and  Plum  island  between 
this  and  the  first  of  May  next  under  the  penalty  of  two  shillings  a 
head '  and  so  forth.  All  these  were  to  be  driven  up  into  the  upper 
commons,  except '  such  horses  that  are  kept  for  the  necessary  use 
of  their  owners.'  These  were  ( to  be  fettered  under  a  like  penalty,' 
in  case  of  neglect,  f 

From  this  extract,  from  the  petition  sent  to  the  general  court  in 
1679  by  the  inhabitants  of  Ipswich,  and  from  other  circumstances 
and  allusions,  it  is  evident  that  large  numbers  of  cattle  and  horses 
were,  by  the  inhabitants  of  Newbury,  for  many  years  after  the  first 
settlement  of  the  town,  driven  on  to  Plum  island  in  the  fall  of  the 
year,  there  to  spend  the  winter  and  live  as  they  could  till  the  spring 
of  the  year,  or  turned  out  in  the  lower  commons  to  shift  for  them- 
selves. Tradition  informs  that  many  of  the  cattle,  especially  those 

*  '  The  upper  commons,'  see  March  twenty-first,  1642. 
t  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  137 

on  Plum  island,  became  so  wild,  that  it  became  necessary  for  their 
owners  to  shoot  them  as  they  would  other  wild  beasts. 

As  may  be  easily  supposed,  neat  cattle  were  much  smaller  than 
those  which  are  kept  by  our  farmers  at  the  present  day.  At  the 
same  time  that  their  cattle  were  thus  neglected,  large  quantities 
of  hay  were  sent  to  Exeter,  Portsmouth,  Dover,  Lynn,  and  so  forth. 

March  \\th.  Sergeant  Nathaniel  Clark  was  appointed  by  the 
selectmen,  '  to  warne  Evan  Morris  out  of  the  towne  of  Newbury.'  f 

In  this  year,  March  twenty-second,  I  find  the  following  regula- 
tions concerning  sheep. 

4  It  was  ordered  that  all  sheep  shall  be  kept  in  that  part  of  the 
commons  where  their  owners  live.  The  inhabitants  of  the  old 
town  to  keep  their  sheep  there.  The  next  flock  to  be  kept  from 
Lob's  pound*  and  over  the  mill  bridge  to  Henry  Jaques  his  pas- 
ture. And  the  next  flock  from  thence  to  James  Smith's  and  over 
Trotter's  bridge.  And  the  inhabitants  from  James  Carrs  to  Mr. 
John  Sewalls  and  Jacob  Toppans  are  the  frog  pond  flock  and  their 
range  shall  be  the  Aps  swamp  from  James  Smith  to  George 
Marches  bridge  and  dismal  ditch  and  Robin's  pound,  and  Moses 
Pilsbury  and  the  further  end  of  the  towne  are  to  have  the  plaines 
for  their  flock.'  f 

May  VI th.  i  The  towne  voted  that  the  selectmen  shall  have 
power  to  take  care  that  the  poore  may  be  provided  for  and  to  build 
cottage  or  cottages  for  them  according  to  their  discretion  and  so  forth.' f_ 

June  20th.  The  highway  from  Newbury  to  Andover,  was  this 
day  laid  out,  to  '  go  by  James  Smiths  and  so  by  George  March  his 
farme,  thence  to  said  George's  high  field  and  from  thence  by 
marked  trees  to  falls  river  upon  as  straight  a  lyne  as  the  ground 
will  admit,  and  so  forth.'  f 

In  April,  twenty-nine  men  and  thirty-one  women  were  '  seated ' 
in  five  new  seats  in  the  gallery. 

Mrs.  Ann  White  had  her  license  renewed  to  keep  an  '  ordinary.' 

November  23d.  i  Thanksgiving  appointed  on  account  of  a  very 
plentiful  harvest' 

1683. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  February,  the  general  court  ordered,  c  that 
major  Sallonstall  with  the  deputies  take  care  to  make  a  division  of 
the  soldiers  of  Newbury  into  two  foot  companies  in  as  equall  a 
manner  as  they  can,  and  that  captain  [Daniel]  Pierce  and  his  com- 
mission officers  shall  have  the  first  choice,  and  captain  Thomas 
Noyes  and  his  commission  officers,  the  other.  Consented  to.'  J 

On  February  ninth,  the  court  of  assistants  l  order  that  the  port 
of  Boston  to  which  Charlestown  is  annexed,  and  the  port  of  Salem, 

*  '  Crowdero,  whom  in  irons  bound, 

Thou  basely  threwst  into  Lob's  pound.'    .    .     Hudibras. 

t  Town  records.  J  General  court  records. 

18 


138  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

to  which  Marblehead,  Beverly,  Gloucester,  Ipswich,  Rowley,  New- 
bury  and  Salisbury  are  annexed,  as  members,  shall  be  the  lawful 
ports  in  this  colony,  where  ships  and  other  vessels  shall  lade  or  un- 
lade any  of  the  plantation's  enumerated  goods,  or  other  goods  from 
foreign  parts  and  no  where  else  and  so  forth.' 
This  occasioned  the  following  petition : 

(  To  the  honored  general  court  now  sitting  in  Boston,  the  humble  petition  of 
some  of  Newbury. 

1  Wee  humbly  crave  the  favour  that  your  honors  would  be  pleased  to  consider 
our  little  Zebulon  and  to  ease  us  of  that  charge,  which  at  present  we  are  forced 
unto  by  our  goeing  to  Salem  to  enter  our  vessells  and  thereby  are  forced  to  stay 
at  least  te-w  days,  before  we  can  unload,  besides  other  charges  in  going  and 
coming.  That  some  meet  person  might  be  appointed  to  receive  the  enter  of 
all  vessells,  and  to  act  and  doe  according  as  the  law  directs  in  that  case  arid  we 
shall  be  bound  forever  to  pray  for  your  honors. 
May  fifteenth,  1683. 

HENRY  WHEELER,     THOMAS  NOYES,  WILLIAM  NOYES, 

HENRY  JAQUES,          JOHN  KENT,  WILLIAM  TITCOMB, 

D.  DAVISON.  J.  DOLE,  PENUEL  TITCOMB. 

CALEB  MOODY,  BENAYAH  TITCOMB. 

Referred  to  the  next  general  court.' 

By  referring  to  the  preceding  year,  it  will  be  seen,  that  the  whole 
of  the  '  lower  commons,'  that  is,  the  territory,  south  of  Artichoke 
river,  was  divided  by  the  town  into  five  distinct  *  ranges,'  or  (  sheep 
walks,'  which  were  to  be  occupied  by  five  flocks  of  sheep,  each  of 
which  must  be  kept  within  its  own  prescribed  limits,  'under  penalty 
of  twelve  pence  a  head  for  every  sheep  so  disorderly '  ^  as  to  be 
out  of  place  night  or  day.  Each  flock  was  under  the  care  of  a 
shepherd,  hired  by  the  owners  of  the  sheep.  From  an  ancient  doc- 
ument, found  among  the  papers  of  the  late  deacon  Nathaniel  Little, 
of  which  the  following  is  a  copy,  we  are  enabled  to  ascertain  the 
manner,  in  which  each  company  managed  its  concerns.  The 
company  here  alluded  to,  resided  in  the  vicinity  of  the  upper  green, 
and  comprehended  those  living  within  the  third  *  range.' 

1  April  16th,  1683.  At  a  legall  meeting  of  the  company,  whose  names  are 
here  set  down  [we]  have  agreed  that  every  man  shall  take  his  full  turn  of  fold- 
ing for  this  year  in  order  according-  as  their  names  are  set  down  ;  and  for  the 
next  year  it  shall  begin  with  that  man,  that  had  no  benefit,  or  that  had  not  his 
whole  benefit  of  folding  upon  his  corn  and  so  successively  from  year  to  year 
till  every  man  hath  had  that  benefit  of  folding  upon  his  corn  or  otherways  in 
season.  And  also  it  is  agreed  that  every  man  shall  bring  a  sufficient  gate  for 
every  score  of  sheep  he  doth  bring  or  send  to  the  flock  belonging  to  this  com- 
pany according  to  the  number  of  sheep  given  in  for  folding  as  witness  our 
hands; 

RICHARD  BROWN,  JOHN  WOOLCOTT, 

MOSES  GERRISH,  THOMAS  NOYES,' 

JOSHUA  MORSS,  MATTH.  PETTINGELL, 

JONATHAN  HAYNES  for  this  year,    JAMES  SMITH.' 

1  It  is  also  agreed  that  Mr.  Nois  and  Mr.  Gerrish  shall  tack  account  of  every 
man's  sheep,  and  proportion  to  every  man  his  share  of  foulding,  and  to  conclude 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  139 

the  end  of  foulding  the  fifth  of  November  and  let  the  first  share  of  foulding  be 
the  bigest,  if  they  make  any  difference  in  every  man's  two  shares. 

DANIEL  PEIRCE,         PETER  TOPFAN,         JOSHUA  MORSS. 

'  It  is  agreed  that  Evan  Morris  shall  keep  sheep  for  this  year  1683  and  he  is 
to  have  six  shillings  a  week  in  pay,  and  he  that  have  above  forty  in  the  fold 
shall  give  him  one  shilling  out  of  the  whole  in  money,  and  all  that  are  under 
thirty  shall  pay  sixpence  in  money  a  man.'  l  They  whose  sheep  are  kept  shall 
allow  him  his  dyett  besides  the  said  six  shillings  per  week  where  the  sheep  are 
folded.' 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  company,  and  number  of  their  sheep. 

Mr.  Moses  Gerrish,       .     90  Richard  Brown,   ...     24 

John  Atkinson,       ...  40  Thomas  Noyes,      ...  40 

Cousin  Pettingell,     .     .     14  Robert  Long,  ....     30 

Samuel  Pettingell,      .     .  30  James  Smith,     ....  44 

Captain  [Daniel]  Peirce,  105  John  Woolcot,      ...     54 

Joshua  Morss,    ....  27  John  Smith,       ....  12 

Serjeant  Trist.  Coffin,        55  Widow  Stickney,     .     .     24 

Doctor  [Peter]  Toppan,     80  John  Webster,  .     .     .     .35 

441  263 

441 

Total,     ...     704 

Here  we  find  sixteen  individuals,  in  one  neighborhood,  owning 
seven  hundred  and  four  sheep.  How  many  more  there  were  in 
the  remaining  four  flocks,  we  have  no  means  of  accurately  ascer- 
taining, but  estimating  the  number  owned  by  each  individual  in 
town,  to  be  in  proportion  to  the  tax  he  paid  in  1685,  the  whole 
number  of  sheep,  owned  in  Newburv  this  year,  would  be  five 
thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty-five,  a  number,  which  is  probably 
not  far  from  the  truth. 

As  there  may  be  some  things  in  the  preceding  quotations,  which 
will  need  a  little  explanation,  I  will  here  furnish  it  from  a  few  other 
old  papers,  and  an  old  account  book  kept  by  Richard  Bartlet,  junior. 
It  will  be  recollected  that  our  fathers  found  it  necessary,  on  account 
of  the  wolves,  to  have  their  sheep  securely  folded  every  night 
This  necessity  they  turned  to  the  advantage  of  their  corn  land,  by 
folding  the  sheep  upon  it  Having  set  the  day  on  which  shepherd 
Morris  was  to  commence  his  services,  which  this  year  was  the 
twenty-third  of  April,  and  designated  the  man,  who  was  to  have 
the  first  'benefit  of  folding,'  who  this  year  was  Richard  Brown, 
each  one  of  the  company  brought  to  his  corn  land  his  share  of  the 
materials,  ('  a  gate^  for  every  score  of  sheep/)  with  which  they  set 
up  the  pen.  After  remaining  there  the  prescribed  time,  it  was  taken 
down  and  set  up  on  l  Cousin  PettingelTs '  land,  and  thus  it  passed 
round  from  one  to  another,  like  a  mug  of  flip  at  an  i  ordinary '  in, 

*  Thus, 'September  ninth.  1702.    John  Ordway  Dr.  for  your  help  in  carting  tw« 
load  of  sheep  gates  into  my  field.'     BarthCs  account  book. 


140  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

olden  time,  each  one  receiving,  '  upon  his  corn,'  or  corn  land,  <  the 
full  benefit '  of  the  top  dressing,  which  seven  hundred  sheep  could 
give.  Wherever  the  pen  was  erected,  there  the  shepherd  was  to 
have  his  '  dyett,'  and  thus  like  a  menagerie,  or  traveling  circus,  he 
and  his  animals  were  continually  in  motion.  At  other  times,  and 
in  other  places,  the  pen  was  erected  on  some  part  of  the  common 
land,  and  was,  after  a  suitable  time,  removed,  and  a  crop  of  turnips 
raised,  which,  in  the  fall,  were  divided  pro  rata  among  the  owners 
of  the  sheep.  Turnips  at  that  time,  and  for  half  a  century  after, 
supplied  the  place  of  potatoes.  In  1662,  the  price  of  a  cord*  of  oak 
wood,  and  a  bushel  of  turnips,  was  the  same,  namely,  one  shilling 
and  sixpence.  In  1702,  a  cord  .of  oak  wood  was  three  shillings,  a 
cord  of  walnut  five  shillings,  and  a  bushel  of  turnips  from  one  shil- 
ling and  sixpence  to  two  shillings.^  From  Mr.  Richard  Bartlet's 
old  journal  I  take  the  following.  '  In  1676,  turnips  one  shilling  per 
bushel,  hemp  and  butter  sixpence  per  pound.  In  1687,  cotton  wool 
was  one  shilling  and  sixpence  per  pound.' 

The  inquisitive  reader  will  excuse  the  minuteness  of  these 
details,  as  it  gives  a  picture  of  some  of  the  customs  of  our  fore- 
fathers, which  the  lapse  of  more  than  a  century  and  a  half  has 
either  materially  changed  or  entirely  effaced. 

A  negro  woman,  named  Juniper,  came  to  Newbury  this  year. 
She  was  warned  out  of  town,  but,  refusing  to  go,  the  selectmen 
appealed  to  the  county  court,  '  to  be  eased  of  such  a  burthen.' 


1684. 

January  2d.  '  At  a  generall  legall  meeting  of  the  towne  it  was 
proposed  and  voted  on  the  affirmative,  whether  or  no  we  think  it 
expedient  and  meet  to  divide  a  part  of  the  commons,  if  we  can 
agree  upon  a  rule  to  do  it  by.'  f 

A  committee  of  fourteen  persons  were  chosen,  '  to  consult  and 
consider  about  a  rule.'  It  was  also  voted  '  to  divide  the  commons 
above  the  hedge.'  f  J 

<•  January  Wth.  At  a  legall  meeting  of  the  freemen  and  freehold- 
ers it  was  voted  that  six  thousand  acres  of  the  upper  common  shall 
be  lotted  out,  namely,  one  thousand  acres  to  the  non-freeholders 
and  soldiers,  and  five  thousand  acres  to  the  freeholders,  to  every 
freeholder  alike  with  an  addition  to  some  few  men  that  have  de- 
served more  and  this  shall  not  be  a  precedent  to  the  future  in  the 
ordering  or  dividing  of  any  other  part  of  the  common.'  f 

In  consequence,  however,  'of  some,  that  did  manifest  dissatisfac- 
tion at  the  votes  it  was  voted  that  there  shall  be  no  further  proceed- 

*  John  Knight's  journal.  t  Town  records. 

f  '  The  hedge,'  so  called,  was  near  Artichoke  river,  and  was  the  dividing  line  between 
*  the  lower  commons,'  and  '  upper  commons,'  or  '  upper  woods,'  as  it  was  sometimes 
called.  The  upper  commons  was  appropriated  for  the  pasturage  of  '  the  dry  herd.' 
The  lower  commons  was  divided  into '  cow  commons,  ox  commons,  steer  commons,  and 
•calf  commons.'  The  sheep  pasture  covered  ihe  same  ground,  but  was  differently  divided. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  141 

ing  upon  that  vote,  nor  any  division  of  the  common  until  the  free- 
men and  freeholders  do  agree  who  the  persons  shall  be  that  deserve 
any  addition,  and  what  they  do  deserve  more  than  an  equall  share.'  ^ 

On  the  subject  of  dividing  the  commons,  nothing  more  was  done 
until  March,  1686,  when,  as  will  be  seen,  the  division  was  made. 
The  cause  of  the  dissatisfaction,  which  existed  among  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  inhabitants,  originated  in  the  order  passed  the  seventh 
of  December,  1642,  which  '  declared  and  ordered  that  the  persons 
only  abovementioned  [ninety-one  in  all]  are  acknowledged  to  be 
freeholders  by  the  towne  and  to  have  a  proportionable  right  in  all 
waste  lands,  commons,  and  rivers  undisposed  of  and  suet  as  by,  from 
or  under  them  or  their  heyrs  have  bought,  granted  and  purchased  from 
them  or  any  of  them  theyr  right  and  title  thereunto  and  none  else.'  * 

This  order  of  course  excluded  all  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  town 
from  any  right  or  title  to  any  of  the  common  lands,  the  river  lots, 
and  Plum  island.  As  early  as  1680  attempts  were  made  by  the 
non-freeholders  to  own  and  occupy  the  commons  equally  with  the 
freeholders,  using  language  to  the  freeholders  to  this  effect. 

<  We  think  it  hard  to  be  deprived  of  the  right  of  commonage. 
We  pay  according  to  our  property  as  much  as  you  for  the  support 
of  public  worship,  the  support  of  schools,  the  repairing  of  the  roads, 
and  our  equal  proportion  of  all  other  taxes,  and  some  of  us  have 
served  as  soldiers  for  your  defence,  and  yet  you  have  rights  and 
privileges,  of  which  we  are  deprived.'  This  was  at  least  plausible, 
and  after  many  meetings,  they,  in  1686,  as  we  shall  see,  succeeded, 
with  the  assistance  of  some  of  the  rich  freeholders,  in  partially 
accomplishing  their  object,  and  establishing  a  rule,  by  which  the 
division  was  made. 

May  l'5th.  At  this  session  of  the  general  court,  Nathaniel  Clarke 
of  Newbury  was  chosen  naval  officer  for  Newbury  and  Salisbury. 
This  was  in  accordance  with  the  last  year's  petition  of  Newbury, 
and  with  that  of  Salisbury,  who  at  this  session  of  the  court,  pre- 
ferred a  similar  petition,  stating  that  they  '  had  some  small  trade.' 

May  31st.  Honorable  Nathaniel  Saltonstall,  of  Haverhiil,  thus 
writes  to  captain  Thomas  Noyes  of  Newbury.  'In  ye  major  gene- 
ral's letter  I  have  order  also  to  require  you,  which  I  herein  do,  with 
all  convenient  speed,  to  provide  a  flight  of  colours  for  your  foot 
company,  ye  ground  field,  or  flight  whereof  is  to  be  green  with  a 
red  cross  with  a  white  field  in  ye  angle,  according  to  the  antient 
custome  of  our  o\vn  English  nation,  and  the  English  plantations  in 
America  and  our  own  practice  in  our  ships  and  other  vessels.  The 
number  or  bullets  to  be  put  into  your  colours  for  distinction,  may 
be  left  out  at  present  without  damage  in  the  making  of  them.'  f 

Sr  faile  not 

Your  friend  and  servant, 

N.  SALTONSTALL/ 

*  Town  records.  t  Robert  Adams's  manuscripts. 


142  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

Thus  it  appears  that  the  cross  in  the  colors,  which  Endicott,  at 
the  instigation  of  Roger  Williams,  had  cut  out  in  1634  as  a  'relique 
of  antichrist,'  and  had  been  laid  aside  for  many  years,  was  again 
ordered  to  be  inserted.  The  scruple,  however,  against  its  use,  still 
continued  in  many  minds.  '  Judge  Samuel  Sewall,  who  in  1685 
was  captain  of  the  south  company  of  militia  in  Boston,  resigned 
his  commission  November  eleventh,  1686  on  account  of  an  order  to 
put  the  cross  in  the  colours.'  # 

In  his  diary,  under  date  of  August  twentieth,  1686,  he  says : 
1  read  tenth  Jeremiah,  was  in  great  exercise  about  the  cross  to  be  put 
into  the  colours,  and  afraid,  if  I  should  have  a  hand  in  it,  whether 
it  may.  not  hinder  my  entrance  into  the  Holy  land.' 

This  year,  for  the  first  time,  a  list  of  the  town  debts  is  given  in 
full,  from  which  the  following  extracts  are  taken.  It  is  in  John 
Pike's  handwriting. 

1  To  Mr.  Edward  Tomson  for  keeping  school  this  year,  .     .     .     £30    Os  Od 
To  Richard  Herring  for  sweeping  the  meeting  house,  ....       2100 
To  Anthony  Somerby  for  keeping  the  town  booke,     -....100 

To  Daniel  Lunt  an  houre  glass, 16 

To  John  Hendrick  one  day  at  the  hedg, 30 

To  Samuel  Sawyer  burning  the  woods  in  olde  time,    ....  40 

To  Mrs.  White  tavern  expences, 524 

To  James  Brown,  watch  house  glass, 96 

To  Samuel  Plummer  ferriage,      .     .     .     .  >• 10    0 

To  William  Sawyer  karting  lime  to  meetting  house,    ....  20 

To  James  Ordway  and  Jonathan  Clark,  twenty-eight  bushels  lime  ISO7 

From  the  same  account  it  appears  that  the  '  coullers '  for  the  troop 
cost  two  pounds  and  fourteen  shillings,  and  for  the  two  foot  com- 
panies six  pounds,  six  shillings,  and  seven  pence.  The  whole 
amount  of  the  town  tax  for  all  purposes  this  year  was  three  hund- 
red and  thirty-eight  pounds  and  eighteen  shillings,  of  which  one 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  pounds,  six  shillings,  and  sixpence,  was 
the  salary  of  reverend  John  Richardson. 

November  24th.     Inquest  on  the  body  of  John  Poore,  senior. 

'  We  judge  that  being  in  the  woods  and  following  his  game,  he 
was  bewildered,  and  lost  himself  and  in  his  pursuit  plucked  off  his 
clothes,  and  scattered  them  some  good  distance  one  part  from  an- 
other till  he  had  left  nothing  on  save  his  waistcoat,  and  drawers,  and 
breeches  and  hose  and  shoes.'  f 


1685. 

February  Stk.     l  Sabbath  afternoon  there  was  an  earthquake.'  J 
January  17th.     '  Boston  harbour  frozen  over  down  to  the  castle, 

and  nine  hundred  men  on  the  ice  at  once.'  J 

The  following  petition  was  sent  in  t6  the  town  of  Newbury  by 

some  of  the  inhabitants  at  the  west  end. 

*  Quarterly  register,  February,  1841.    f  County  records.     J  Judge  Sewall's  diary. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  143 

{ March  10th,  1684-5.  To  the  town  of  Newbury  the  humble  request  of  some 
of  the  inhabitants  of  this  lown  doe  sire  and  intreat  that  you  would  be  pleased  to 
grant  us  your  consent,  approbation  and  assistance  in  geting  some  help  in  the 
ministry  amongst  us,  by  reason  that  we  doe  live  soe  remote  from  the  means, 
great  part  of  us  that  we  cannot  with  any  comfort  or  convenience  come  to  the 
publick  worship  of  God ;  neither  can  our  families  be  brought  up  under  the 
means  of  grace  as  Christians  ought  to  bee,  and  which  is  absolutely  necessary 
unto  salvation  ;  therefore  we  will  humbly  crave  your  loving  compliance  with 
us  in  this  our  request/ 

The  preceding  petition  is  the  first  recorded  intimation,  that  is  to 
be  found,  that  the  people  of  the  west  end  of  the  town  desired  to 
have  public  worship  among  themselves.  This  was  the  commence- 
ment of  a  contest,  which,  as  we  shall  see,  involved  the  whole  town, 
and  especially  the  westerly  part  of  it,  in  difficulties  and  quarrels, 
which  were  not  settled  for  many  years,  the  injurious  consequences 
of  which  are  even  now  perceptible. 

April  20th.  King  James  proclaimed  king  '  in  the  market  place, 
Boston,  by  the  governor,  deputy  governor,  eight  soldiers  and  one 
troop  to  guard  the  governor.' 

This  year,  May  twentieth,  William  Bolton  was  chosen  Mo  keep 
the  dry  cattell  in  the  upper  commons  above  the  hedge,  and  to  take 
care  for  ye  repayring  of  such  breaches  as  should  be  in  the  hedg 
from  time  to  time,'  and  so  forth. 

June  18/A.  The  selectmen  defined  the  limits  of  the  five  flocks  of 
sheep.  They  were  called  '  the  old-town  flock,'  4  Henry  Short's 
flock,'  '  captain  Pierce's  flock,' l  the  frogg  pond  flock,'  and  '  the  Arte- 
choak  flock.' 

In  November  the  selectmen  ordered  the  names  of  all  the  tax- 
payers to  be  recorded,  with  the  amount  paid  by  each  individual 
toward  ^Ir.  Richardson's  salary,  which  was  '  forty  pounds  in  money 
and  seventy  pounds  in  other  good  pay.'  The  word  'pay'  at  this 
time  meant  all  kinds  of  grain,  and  so  forth,  and  sometimes  cattle 
and  horses.  By  a  warrant  from  the  state  treasurer  '  to  the  select- 
men and  constables  of  Newbury,  the  town  was  required  to  collect 
of  the  inhabitants  eighteen  pounds,  two  shillings  and  ten  pence  in 
money,  and  thirly-six  pounds,  five  shillings  and  eight  pence  to  be 
paid  in  country  pay,  wheat  at  five  shillings  and  sixpence,  barley  and 
barley  malt  and  pease  at  four  shillings  and  sixpence,  rye  at  four 
shillings,  Indian  corn  at  three  shillings,  and  oats  at  two  shillings  per 
bushel,  and  all  other  things  at  money  prices,  provided  no  leane 
cattle  or  horses  be  paid,  and  in  case  any  pay  money  in  lieu  of 
country  pay  they  are  to  be  abated  one  third,'  and  so  forth. 

The  whole  number  of  persons  rated,  was  two  hundred  and  thir- 
teen, among  whom  are  the  names  of  eight  with  the  title  of  '  Mr.,'  a 
mark  of  distinction  at  this  time,  one  esquire,  three  captains,  three 
lieutenants,  two  ensigns,  eight  sergeants,  three  corporals,  three  dea- 
cons, and  two  doctors. 


144  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 


1686. 

'  January  24^/z,  Sunday.  So  cold  that  the  sacramental  bread  is 
frozen  pretty  hard  and  rattles  sadly  into  the  plates.'  ^ 

At  the  March  meeting  this  year,  '  it  was  ordered  that  the  select- 
men shall  have  twenty  shillings  apiece  for  the  bearing  of  their 
charges  and  the  expence  of  their  time  about  the  towne  buisiness 
and  ye  commissioner  to  have  ten  shillings  and  what  they  spend 
more  they  are  to  pay  out  of  their  owne  estate.'  f 

March  16th.  '  The  towne  being  sensible  of  their  great  want  of 
another  corne  mill,'  a  committee  of  five  persons  was  chosen  '  to 
view  such  place  or  places,  as  may  be  most  convenient  for  ye  setting 
up  of  a  mill.'  f 

'  For  the  preservation  of  convenient  shades  for  cattle  and  sheep 
in  ye  home  commons,'  all  persons  were  forbidden,  under  penalty 
of  twenty  shillings  a  tree,  '  apses,  birches  and  alders  excepted,  to 
cutt,  fall,  girdle  or  lopp  any  tree  in  any  of  the  towne's  high  wayes  or 
in 'any  of  ye  commons'  within  certain  specified  limits,  f 

i  Juniper  proposed  for  a  liberty  to  build  a  cottage  to  dwell  in 
upon  ye  common  neer  frogg  pond.  The  towne  voted  in  the  nega- 
tive.'! 

March  22d.  '  At  a  legall  meeting  of  the  selectmen  twenty  tything 
men  were  appointed  and  chosen  for  the  year  ensuing.' 

'  Benjamin  Mors  was  appointed  to  burn  the  woods  this  year  above 
Artichoke  river  and  to  have  for  his  pains  ten  shillings.' 

Hugh  March   and  Mrs.  Ann  White  were  licensed  to  keep  an 

*  ordinary.' 

'  At  a  county  court  March  thirtieth  captain  Daniel  Pierce,  captain 
Thomas  Noyes  and  lieutenant  Stephen  Greenleaf  are  commissioned 
to  be  magistrates  by  the  court,  as  there  was  no  magistrate  among 
them,'  that  is,  the  people  of  Newbury.  So  says  John  Badger  in  his 
petition. 

March  23d.  '  At  a  legall  meeting  of  the  freemen  and  freeholders,' 
another  attempt  was  made  to  divide  a  part  of  the  upper  commons. 
Among  the  votes  passed  was  one,  forty-three  to  thirty-eight,  that 

*  each  freeholder  should  have  twenty  acres  of  land  laid  out  in  the 
upper  commons  on  Merrimack  river  and  on  the  southwest  side  of 
the  upper  commons '  and  so  forth,  and  '  it  was  also  determined  and 
agreed  that  if  this  land  in  time  to  come  shall  be  improved  by  fenc- 
ing or  otherwise  the  improvers  of  it  shall  pay  to  all  public  towne 
charges,'  and  so  forth.f 

From  this  and  other  votes  and  allusions,  it  is  evident  that  the 
larger  part  of  the  land  lying  above  Artichoke  river,  was  still  com- 
mon, unfenced,  and  unimproved  except  for  pasturage.  Large 
quantities  of  timber  in  this  tract  were  granted  to  various  individuals 
to  make  'long  shingle,'  as  it  was  called,  'to  cover  houses,'  for '  pales ' 

*  Judge  SewalFs  diary.  f  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  145 

for  'clapboards/  'for  posts  and  rayles,'  for  buildings  of   various 
kinds,  and  for  wheelwrights  and  coopers'  use. 

In  the  month  of  April,  complaints  were  'made  to  the  selectmen  of 
great  spoyle  of  timber  that  was  made  in  the  towne's  commons, 
constable'  Moses  Pilsbury  seized  and  delivered  to  Joseph  Pike 
twenty-one  red  oak  trees  and  sixteen  white  oak  trees  at  the  southeast 
end  near  Savages'  rock  and  the  westerly  end  of  Long  hill  near 
Merrimack  river.' 

J/fl/y  5th.  A  committee  of  seventeen  was  chosen,  to  'agree  upon 
a  meete  way  of  dividing  the  commons  and  bring  in  theyr  result  and 
conclusion  to  the  towne,'  and  so  forth.^ 

On  October  twentieth,  the  committee  reported,  and  the  '  towne 
voted  that  the  upper  commons  be  divided  in  manner  following, 
namely,  the  six  thousand  acres,  one  half  of  them  in  quantity  and 
quality  be  divided  among  the  freeholders,  to  every  freeholder  a  like 
share,  and  the  other  half  of  said  commons  be  divided  among  all 
such  inhabitants  of  this  towne  and  freeholders  as  have  paid  rates 
two  years  last  past,  proportionable  to  w^hat  each  man  paid  by  rate 
to  the  minister's  rate  in  the  year  1685.'  ^ 

'  And  that  about  eleven  hundred  acres  of  the  lower  commons  be 
divided  according  to  the  above  method  and  laid  out  into  five  general 
pastures  and  so  forth,  and  the  rest  of  the  commons  to  be  divided  and 
laid  out  into  wood  lots  according  to  the  above  division  and  same  rale.'*1 

'  June  19th.     James  Myricks  house  burnt  down.'f 

The  committee,  who  were  chosen  October  twenty-first,  to  divide 
and  lay  out  the  lands,  were  captain  Daniel  Pierce,  lieutenant  Ste- 
phen Greenleaf,  serjeant  John  Emery,  Joseph  Pike,  lieutenant  Tris- 
tram Coffin,  ensign  Nathaniel  Clark*  and  Henry  Short. 

November  26th.  The  freeholders  of  Newbiiry  met  and  passed 
several  orders  before  the  lots  were  drawn.  One  was,  that  '  Indian 
river  should  be  free  as  far  as  the  tide  flows  for  the  passing  and  re- 
passing  of  boats  and  canoes.  Another,  that  every  freeholder  should 
draw  his  lot  as  his  name  is  entered  in  the  town  booke.^  The  free- 
holders' meeting  was  then  adjourned  for  half  an  hour  to  attend  the 
towne  meeting  then  to  be.'  %• 

This  division  of  land,  which  the  freeholders  had  at  last  agreed  to 
make,  was  one  of  the  most  important  transactions  in  which  the  town 
had  been  called  to  engage.  It  had  occasioned,  as  we  learn  from  a 
protest  on  record,  signed  by  Margaret  Lowle  and  James  Brown, 
'great  confusions,  contentions,  inconveniences,  and  injuries,'  and 
was  not  settled  without  much  difficulty  and  opposition.  On  No- 
vember twenty-ninth,  they  again  met,  and  'agreed  that  the  persons 
concerned  in  the  rate  division  of  the  upper  commons  shall  be  drawne 
into  four  companyes,  then  one  man  of  each  company  shall  draw  in 
the  name,  and  for  the  said  company,  and  he  that  draweth  figure  one 
that  company  shall  have  theyr  proportions  first,'  and  so  on.  '  Then 
every  man's  name  of  every  company,  and  the  names  of  the  four 

*  Town  records.  t  Sewall's  journal. 

19 


146  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

companyes  shall  be  putt  into  four  several  baggs,  and  the  committee 
chosen  to  lay  out  the  said  rate  proportion  shall  take  a  paper  out  of 
the  bagg  belonging  to  the  first  company,  and  that  man's  name,  that 
first  comes  to  hand  shall  have  his  lott  first  laid  out  and  so  all  the  rest 
successively  until  the  whole  be  laid  out  and  so  for  the  rest  of  the 
companyes.'  ^ 

December  1st.  The  freeholders  again  met  and  voted,  that  '  they 
would  begin  the  division  next  Mr.  John  Gerrish's  farm  next  Brad- 
ford line,'  and  so  forth.  The  lots  were  accordingly  drawn,  and  the 
land  was  laid  out  by  '  the  two  lott  layers,  namely  lieutenant  Tristram 
Coffin  and  Henry  Short,'  and  thus  this  perplexing  business  was 
finally  settled,  in  perhaps  the  only  way  which  could  reconcile  the 
conflicting  interests  and  opinions  of  the  great  majority  of  the  people. 

December  13th.  A  committee  was  chosen  to  divide  eleven 
hundred  acres  of  the  lower  commons  into  five  general  pastures. 

December  2Qth.     Sir  Edmund  Andros  came  to  New  England. 

December  21st.  The  committee  were  desired  to  ;  measure  the 
old  towne  common  and  proportion  it  to  the  old  towne  men  and 
proportion  the  rest  of  the  land  adjacent  to  the  rest  of  the  inhabi- 
tants in  the  same  proportion.'  3fe 

It  may  not  here  be  improper  to  explain  the  difference  between  a 
'  freeholders'  meeting,'  a  '  freemen's  meeting,'  and  a  '  town  meeting.' 

A  man  might  be  a  freeholder  and  not  a  '  freeman,'  and  vice  versa. 
He  might  be  a  voter  in  town  affairs,  and  yet  neither  be  a  freeholder 
nor  a  freeman.  A  freeman  was  one  who  had  taken  the  freeman's 
oath,  and  which  alone  entitled  him  to  vote  in  the  nomination  of 
magistrates,  choice  of  deputies,  alias  representatives.  A  freeholder 
was  one,  who  either  by  grant,  purchase,  or  inheritance,  was  entitled 
to  a  share  in  all  the  common  and  undivided  lands.  When  any 
town  officers  were  to  be  chosen,  or  money  raised  by  way  of  rate, 
all  the  inhabitants  could  vote.  Thus  we  sometimes  find  the  expres- 
sion, '  at  a  meeting  of  the  freemen,'  sometimes  '  a  meeting  of  the 
freeholders,'  or  '  a  meeting  of  the  freeholders  and  proprietors,'  or  '  a 
meeting  of  the  freeholders  and  inhabitants,'  or  *  a  generall  towne 
meeting,'  and  sometimes  '  a  legall  towne  meeting.'  These  expres- 
sions always  indicate  the  nature  and  object  of  the  meeting,  and 
were  necessary,  as  all  the  transactions  were  recorded  by  the  town 
clerk,  in  the  same  book.  In  this  year,  two  sets  of  books  began  to 
be  kept,  one  for  the  town,  and  one  for  the  proprietors,  and  were 
kept  separate  till  the  final  settlement  of  the  proprietors'  concerns,  in 
the  sale  of'  Plum  island  in  1827.  To  the  division  of  the  land  in 
the  upper  commons,  on  the  plan  proposed,  many  were  opposed, 
some  from  principle,  and  some  from  interest.  The  division  was  at 
last  settled  by  a  compromise,  which  evinced  a  good  deal  of  man- 
agement, quieting  the  non-freeholder,  and,  at  the  same  time,  enrich- 
ing the  wealthy  freeholder  at  the  expense  of  the  poorer  freeholder. 
That  a  rich  freeholder  would  obtain  a  larger  share  by  consenting 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  147 

that  the  rate-paying  non-freeholders  should  share  with  him  accord- 
ing to  '  the  rule/  is  evident.  For  example,  were  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  acres  of  land  to  be  divided  among  the  freeholders  alone, 
each  would  have  an  acre ;  but  were  the  same  amount  to  be  divided, 
one  half  among  the  freeholders,  and  the  other  half  among  the  free- 
holders and  rate  payers,  a  freeholder  would  have  half  an  acre  on 
the  first  division,  and  if  he  paid  a  sixteen  shillings  tax,  he  would 
obtain  eight  times  as  much  on  the  other  half  as  a  freeholder  who 
only  paid  a  two  shillings  tax. 

November  21st.  '  The  three  deacons  namely,  deacon  Nicholas 
Noyes,  deacon  Robert  Long  and  deacon  Tristram  Coffin  were  at 
the  request  of  the  selectmen,  chosen  standing  overseers  of  the  poore 
for  the  town  of  Newbury.' 

December  1st.  '  Captain  Daniel  Pierce  and  captain  Stephen 
Greenleaf  senior,  were  added  to  the  deacons  as  overseers  of  the 
poor,  and  that  any  three  of  them  shall  have  power  to  make  a  valid 
act.'  #  The  town  also  engaged  '  to  ratify  and  confirm  whatsoever 
bargain  the  overseers  of  the  poore  shall  make,  provided  alwayes 
that  they  do  not  engage  money.'  * 

December  13th.  The  town  empowered  a  committee  l  to  lay  out 
a  convenient. high  way  of  such  breadth  as  they  shah1  see  meet  thro' 
the  plaines  to  sergeant  Emery's  mill.'  * 

'  The  first  range  of  lots  for  the  freeholders  began  at  sergeant  John 
Emery's  farm  [near  Artichoke  river]  and  so  ran  up  Mem  mack  river 
unto  Air.  John  Gerrish's  farm  [near  or  adjoining  to  Bradford.'] 

The  committee,  consisting  of  Mr.  Daniel  Pierce,  with  Tristram 
Coffin,  and  Henry  Short,  lot-layers,  laid  out  a  road  '  four  rods  wide 
and  no  more  from  Artichoke  river  to  Lowell's  brook  [now  Brown's 
spring]  and  thence  to  Bradford  line.'  * 

Joseph  Dudley  was  appointed  president  of  Massachusetts, 
Plymouth,  New  Hampshfre,  and  Maine,  with  a  council,  but  no 
house  of  representatives.  In  six  months  he  \vas  superseded  by 
sir  Edmund  Andros.  He  was  very  arbitrary  and  oppressive.  Five 
only  of  the  councillors  joined  with  governor  Andros  in  his 
measures ;  the  greater  part  refusing  to  act  with  him. 


1687. 

January  5th,  1687.  A  committee  was  appointed  <  to  treat  with 
Peter  Cheney  about  setting  up  a  corne  mill  and  a  fulling  mill  upon 
the  Falls  river,  and  to  treat  with  William  Moody  concerning  his 
Indian  purchase  and  the  quantity  of  land  he  claims  thereby,'  #  and 
so  forth. 

January  8th.  Town  granted  Mr.  [D.]  Davison  a  '  piece  of 
ground  twenty  foot  wide  next  Mr.  Richard  Dole's  ware  house  grant 
and  thirty-five  foot  long  towards  doctor  Dole's  house,'  and  laid  it 
out  second  of  April. 

*  Town  records. 


148  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

Town  sent  a  petition  to  sir  Edmund  Andros,  knight,  praying 
him  to  appoint  and  empower  some  man  or  men  to  take  the 
acknowledgment  of  deeds,  and  give  oaths,  and  a  clerk  to  issue 
i  forth  all  needful  writs  and  warrants,  there  being  not  one  of  your 
excellencys  council  within  twenty  miles.' 

February  15/A,  1687.  Peter  Cheney  proposed  to  '  build  and 
maintaine  a  good  sufficient  grist  or  corn  mill  within  two  years,  and 
a  fulling  mill  within  three  yeares  at  ye  upper  falls,  and  to  full  ye 
towne's  cloth  on  the  same  terms  that  Mr.  John  Pearson  doth  full 
cloth,  and  resign  up  his  interest  in  Little  river  on  condition  that  the 
town  give  him  fifty  acres  of  land  joyning  to  Falls'  river,'  ^  and  so 
forth,  which  the  town  granted. 

March  28th.  The  town  granted  to  eleven  young  men,  i  liberty  to 
build  a  pew  in  the  hindmost  seat  in  the  gallery,  that  is  before  the 
pulpit.'  # 

October  ISth.  The  committee  chosen  by  the  .town,  '  agreed  with 
Mr.  Seth  Shove  to  be  ye  lattin  Schoolmaster  for  ye  town  of  New- 
bury  for  the  present  year.' 

April  6th.  '  A  warrant  was  granted  to  warne  out  of  ye  towne 
Win.  Nisbett,  Edw.  Badger  and  one  David  that  lives  at  Mr. 
Thurlos.'  * 

'  This  year  the  worms  did  much  mischief  in  the  summer,  eating 
up  trees,  grass  as -though  they  had  been  mown,  leaving  weeds.'  f 

October  25th.  A  new  ferry  across  the  Merrimac  was  granted 
by  sir  Edmund  Andros,  to  captain  John  March,  and  was  the  first 
ferry  granted  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now  Newburyport.  It 
was  situated  just,  where  it  is  now.  The  first  was  granted  at  Carr's 
island,  and,  till  this  year,  had  monopolized  the  whole  travel  of  the 
country,  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  Amesbury  ferry.  This 
grant  was  in  consequence  of  a  petition  sent  by  captain  March, 
September  twenty-third,  1687.  James  Carr  remonstrated  against 
it,  stating  that  *  the  first  bridge  at  Carr's  island  cost  more  than  three 
hundred  pounds,  that  the  ferry  at  George  Carr's  death  was  worth 
near  four  hundred  pounds  and  that  the  injury  to  him  by  March's 
ferry  was  fifty  or  sixty  pounds  a  year.'  Mr.  March,  in  a  letter  to  the 
town  of  Salisbury,  offered  to  be  at  one  half  of  the  expense  of  mak- 
ing their  part  of  the  road  passable  to  the  ferry. 

During  the  vacation  of  the  charter,  and  the  tyrannical  adminis- 
tration of  Andros,  it  was  asserted  that  the  people  had  no  title  to 
their  lands.  The  following  letter  from  Mr.  Robert  Mason,  who,  in 
consequence  of  a  grant  to  his  father  from  the  council  of  Plymouth, 
before  the  settlement  of  Massachusetts,  claimed  all  the  land  from 
Naumkeag  river,  [Salem,]  to  Merrimac,  will  be  read  with  interest. 
Mason  was  one  of  Andres's  council,  and  resided  at  Portsmouth, 
New  Hampshire. 

*  Town  records.  t  Se wall's  journal. 


HISTOKY    OF    NEWBURY.  149 

1  Great  Island,  August  13th,  1687. 

'  To  his  excellency  Edmund  Andres, 

'Sir, 

1  Your  excellency  may  please  to  remember  I  proposed  some  persons  as 
fitting  to  serve  his  majesty  in  the  town  of  Newbury  both  in  civil  and  military 
affairs.  In  my  return  to  this  place  I  had  discourse  with  several  persons,  the 
most  considerable  of  that  town,  that  by  want  of  justices  of  the  peace,  nothing 
hath  been  done  at  the  meeting  of  thos'e  inhabitants  for  settling  the  rates  and 
other  concerns  of  the  publick.  Mr.  Woodbridge.  one  of  the  justices  is  very  an- 
cient and  crazy  and  seldom  goes  abroad.  Mr.  Dummer  the  other  justice  lives 
six  miles  from  the  place  and  therefore  very  unfit  for  that  servic.e  for  the  town  of 
Newbury,  besides  his  other  qualites  in  not  being  of  the  loyal  party  as  he  ought 
to  be.  I  doe  therefore  intreat  of  your  excellency,  that  in  the  commission  of  the 
peace  my  two  friends,  Daniel  Pierce  and  Nathaniel  Clarke  may  be  put,  which  I 
assure  myself  will  be  for  his  majesty's  service  and  to  your  excellency's  satisfac- 
tion. There  are  no  military  commissions  sent  to  that  place  and  therefore  I  doe 
entreat  your  excellency's  favour  that  commissions  be  sent  these  following  per- 
sons. Daniel  Davison,  captain  of  horse  for  Newbury  and  Rowley.  Stephen 
Greenleaf  junior  lieutenant.  George  March  cornet.  Of  the  first  company 
Thomas  Noyes  captain,  Stephen  Greenleaf  senior  lieutenant,  James  Noyes 
ensign.  Of  the  second  company  Nathaniel  Clarke  captain,  John  March  lieuten- 
ant, Moses  Gerrish  ensign.  I  shall  desire  your  excellency  that  Mr.  Davison 
may  have  his  commission  first  for  raising  the  troops,  there  being  many  young 
men,  that  will  list  themselves  under  him.  if  not  before  listed  by  the  captain's 
foot.  He  is  very  well  beloved  and  I  presume  will  have  the  completest  troops 
in  the  country. 

1 1  shall  be  extream  glad  to  heare  of  my  good  lady's  safe  arrival,  which  so 
soon  as  I  shall  understand,  I  will  make  a  speedy  journey  to  Boston  to  kiss  her 
hands.  I  came  last  night  to  this  place.  /  hope  all  things  will  go  easy  so  that  I 
may  have  no  occasion  of  using  the  former  severities  of  the  law  against  my  tenants. 
I  had  rather  see  them  rich  than  poor.  I  humbly  kiss  your  excellency's  hands 
and  am  Your  excellency's  servant 

ROBERT  MASON.' 

1688. 

January  26th.  John  Woodbridge,  esquire,  and  eight  others,  sent 
in  a  written  prostestation  '  against  the  injurious  and  unreasonable 
dealing  of  some  invading  and  disposing  of  the  town's  commons, 
which  (as  they  suppose)  they  have  no  right  nor  authority  to  do,' 
and  so  forth,  and  '  demanded  that  whatsoever  is  already  done  to  the 
dividing  and  impropriating  our  commons  may  be  made  void  and 
nulled,'  and  so  forth. 

The  town  granted  *  their  interest  in  the  stream  of  the  little  river 
to  the  mouth  of  it  where  it  vents  into  the  great  river  to  Henry  Short 
to  build  a  grist  mill  upon  for  the  towne's  use,  provided  he  build  it 
within  one  year,  and  if  he  do  not  build  within  one  year  he  is  to  pay 
five  pounds  and  the  towne  to  have  theyr  interest  in  the  stream 
againe.'  * 

This  summer,  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  in  addition  to  the 
grievances,  which  they  suffered  under  the  tyrannical  administration 
of  sir  Edmund  Andros,  were  again,  after  a  twelve  years'  respite, 
afflicted  with  the  horrors  of  an  Indian  war.  It  was  called  Castine's 
war  from  the  baron  de  saint  Castine,  a  Frenchman,  who  had  rnar- 

*  Town  records. 


150  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

ried  a  daughter  of  Madochawando,  the  Penobscot  chief,  and  whose 
house,  in  his  absence,  had  been  plundered  by  the  English.  The 
Canadian  French  also  united  with  the  Indians  in  their  depredations, 
which  were  continued  at  intervals  till  1698.  Notwithstanding  all 
the  difficulties,  under  which  the  people  labored,  they  were,  in  gene- 
ral, very  patient  under  the  '  new  government.'  ^  There  were,  how- 
ever, a  few  exceptions.  '  One  John  Gould  was  tried,  convicted 
and  fined  fifty  pounds  for  treasonable  words.'  The  reverend  John 
Wise  and  Mr.  John  Appleton,  of  Ipswich,  were  imprisoned  for 
remonstrating  against  the  taxes  as  a  heavy  grievance.^ 

Caleb  Moody  of  Newbury  was  imprisoned  and  Joseph  Bayley 
put  under  bonds  of  two  hundred  pounds  to  answer  for  an  alleged 
offence,  which  is  best  related  in  Moody' s  own  words. 

1  Caleb  Moody  of  Newbury  aged  fifty-two  years  testifyelh  that  some  time  in 
January  1688  Joseph.  Baylie  of  ye  same  towne  gave  me  a  paper,  which  he  told 
me  he  had  taken  up  in  the  king's  highway,  the  title  of  it  was, 

1  New  England  alarmed, 

To  -rise  and  be  armed, 

Let  not  papist  you  charme, 

I  mean  you  no  harme,'  and  so  forth. 

1  The  purport  of  the  paper  was  to  give  notice  to  the  people  of  the  danger  they 
were  in,  being  under  the  sad  circumstances  of  an  arbitrary  government,  sir  Ed- 
mund Andros  having  about  one  thousand  of  our  souldiers,  as  'I  was  informed, 
prest  out  of  the  Massachusetts  colony  and  carried  with  him  to  the  eastward 
under  pretence  of  destroying  our  enemy  Indians  (although  not  one  Indian  killed 
by  them  that  I  heard  of  at  that  time.)  We  had  no  watching  nor  warding  at  our 
towne  by  order  of  those  yt  sir  Edmund  put  in  command  there.  Justice  Wood- 
bridge  and  Justice  Epps  sent  me  a  warrant  to  bring  a  paper  that  was  in  my 
hands,  which  I  did,  and  told  them  I  received  the  paper  from  Joseph  Baylie,  who 
owned  it  to  them,  whereupon  I  was  cleared,  and  they  bound  said  Joseph  Baylie 
in  a  bond  of  two  hundred  pounds  to  answer  it  at  Salem  court  ye  fifth  of  March 
following  and  they  took  me  for  his  bondsman.  Notwithstanding  this,  about  a 
week  after  the  said  justices  by  a  warrant  brought  me  before  them  and  then 
committed  me  to  Salem  prison  (though  I  proffered  ym  bayle)  they  would  not 
take  it  but  I  was  to  be  safely  kept  to  answer  what  should  be  charged  against  me 
upon  the  king's  account  for  publishing  a  scandalous  and  seditious  lybell.  After 
I  had  been  in  prison  a  whole  week  then  judge  Palmer  and  Mr.  Grayham,  ye 
king's  attorney  came  to  Salem  and  examined  me  and  confined  me  to  close  im- 
prisonment ordering  that  neither  my  friends,  or  acquaintance  nor  fellow-prisoners 
to  come  to  me,  which  continued  for  about  a  week's  time,  and  then  judge  P.  and 
Mr.  G.  came  againe,  and  said  G.  sent  for  me,  and  after  some  discourse  he  refused 
any  bayle,  but  committed  me  to  close  prison,  and  after,  Charles  Redford,  the  high 
sheriff,  came  to  prison  and  told  Joseph  Baylie  and  myself  that  he  had  orders  to 
examine  us,  and  to  put  a  new  mittimus  upon  us  and  charge  us  with  treason,  and 
the  time  came  when  the  court  should  have  sent  to  try  us  and  there  was  no  court. 
Afterwards  there  came  news  of  ye  happy  arrival  and  good  success  of  ye  prince 
of  Orange,  now  king  of  England,  and  then  by  petitioning  I  got  bayle.  The 
time  of  my  imprisonment  was  about  five  weeks,  and  I  doe  judge  my  dammage 
one  way  and  another  was  about  forty  pounds. 

Boston  New  England,  January  ninth,  1689-90. 'f 

£  Caleb  Moody  appeared  personally  January  ninth,  1689-90  and  gave  evidence 
upon  oath  of  the  truth  of  the  above  written  before  me 

SAMUEL  APPLETON. 

Assistant  for  ye  colony  of  ye  Massachusetts 
bay  in  New  England.' 

*  Hutchinson.  t  Colonial  files. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  151 

The  '  one  thousand  souldiers,'  mentioned  by  Moody  in  the  pre- 
ceding statement,  were  in  fact  only  seven  or  eight  hundred,  whom 
governor  Andros  had  impressed,  and  marched  at  their  head  in  the 
eastern  country  in  November,  a  '  measure  universally  condemned,' 
as  '  not  an  Indian  was  killed,'  and  '  many  of  the  sokliers  died  with 
hardships.'  The  names  of  those  impressed  by  his  order  from  New- 
bury,  November,  1688,  were,  captain  John  March,  Charles  Stuart, 
Benjamin  Goodridge,  William  Goodridge,  John  Cram,  Joseph 
Short,  Edward  Goodwin. 

In  the  January  following,  Giles  Mills,  Nicholas  Cheney,  Jacob 
Parker,  John  Richards,  and  Andrew  Stickney,  were  impressed. 

Joseph  Moring,  a  soldier,  in  his  will,  dated  November  fifth,  1688, 
says,  '  I  give  to  the  '  new  town '  in  Newbury  twenty  pounds  to  help 
build  a  meeting  house,  if  they  do  build  one,  if  they  do  not  build  one, 
then  I  give  twenty  pounds  towards  rebuilding  or  repairing  the 
meeting-house  that  is  now  standing  in  Newbury.' 

In  Richard  Bartlet's  old  account  book  I  find,  in  1689,  the  follow- 
ing. *  Bought  boards  and  shingles  and  nails  for  the  meeting  house.' 
The  west  parish  meeting-house  was  therefore  built  in  1689. 


1689. 

For  the  last  three  years,  there  is  nothing  of  interest  to  be  found  on 
the  town  records.  The  reason  of  this,  probably,  is^  that  nothing  of 
consequence  was  done.  Under  the  tyrannical  and  arbitrary  govern- 
ment of  Andros,  the  people  were  kept  under  great  restraint. 

4  Every  town  was  suffered  to  meet  once  a  year  to  choose  their 
officers,  but  all  meetings  at  other  times  or  for  other  purposes,  were 
strictly  forbidden.'  ^ 

The  body  of  the  people,  who  had  borne  with  great  patience  the 
tyranny  of  Andros's  administration,  were  determined  to  bear  it  no 
longer.  On  Thursday,  the  eighteenth  of  April,  the  inhabitants  of 
Boston  and  the  vicinity  '  seized  and  confined  the  governor  and  such 
of  the  council,  as  had  been  most  active,  and  other  obnoxious  per- 
sons and  reinstated  the  old  magistrates.'  ^  Some  went  from  New- 
bury. Among  them  was  Samuel  Bartlet,  a  staunch  friend  of  lib- 
erty, a  very  facetious  but  decided  man.  '  He  was  a  basket  maker, 
fidler  and  farmer.  On  the  first  intimation  of  any  difficulty,  he 
armed  himself,  mounted  his  horse,  and  so  rapid,  it  is  said,  was  his 
flight  to  Boston,  that  his  long  rusty  sword,  trailing  on  the  ground, 
left,  as  it  came  in  contact  with  the  stones  in  the  road,  a  stream  of 
fire  all  the  way.  He  arrived  in  season  to  assist  in  imprisoning  the 
governor.'  f 

The  following  is  the  first  article  on  the  records  for  this  year. 

1  May  6th.  The  committee  of  safety  in  Boston  having  desired 
us  to  send  a  man  or  men  for  consulting  with  them  what  may  be 

*  Hutchinson. 

t  Interleaved  almanacs  of  the  late  honorable  Bailey  Bartlet,  esquire,  Haverhill. 


152  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

best  for  the  conservation  of  the  peace  of  the  country.  Our  inhabi- 
tants being  met  this  sixth  day  of  May  1689  have  chosen  captain 
Thomas  Noyes  and  lieutenant  Stephen  Greenleaf  senior  for  the 
end  aforesaid,'  and  on  May  twentieth  the  inhabitants  of  the  town 
met  for  consultation,  and  among  other  things  declared  that  being  '  in 
full  expectation  of  enlargement  of  privilege  and  liberty  of  choyce  for 
the  future,'  they  *  give  their  consent  to  the  freemen  of  the  towne  to 
make  choyce  of  the  governor,  deputy  governor,  and  assistants  to  be 
our  lawful  authority.'  It  was  therefore  voted  *  by  the  lowne  and  by 
the  freemen,'  with  only  two  dissenting  votes,  that  the  charter  should 
be  reassumed,  though  nothing  had  then  been  heard  from  England. 
On  May  twenty-sixth,  news  arrived  at  Boston  that  William  and 
Mary  had  been  proclaimed  king  and  queen  of  England.  *  This,' 
says  Hutchinson,  '  was  the  most  joyful  news  ever  received  in  New 
England.' 

July  \st.  Town  desired  '  for  the  present  exigence  to  have  all  the 
military  officers,  that  were  in  commission  May  twelfth  1686,'  to  be 
reinstated. 

4  Also  we  desire  and  empower  the  said  committee  of  militia  to 
appoint  so  many  houses  to  be  fortified  among  us  as  they  shall  see 
cause  and  to  proportion  so  many  families  to  each  fortification  ac- 
cording to  theyr  discretion.' 

August  22d.  '  Brig  Merrimack  of  Newbury,  captain  John  Kent, 
was  captured  by  pirates  in  Martin  Vineyard  sound.' 

August  24:th.  The  governor  and  council  and  representatives 
desired  the  town  of  Newbury  to  raise  a  '  subscription  for  a  loan  of 
money,  goods  and  provisions  for  the  carrying  on  of  the  Indian  war.' 
The  town,  '  in  answer  thereunto,'  say,  '  it  is  our  desire  to  maintaine 
ye  soldiers  of  our  own  towne  as  to  provision  and  wages.'  %• 

September  23d.  Samuel  Sayer  was  licensed  by  the  court  to  sell 
victuals  and  drink,  living  conveniently  by  the  road  to  Bradford  and 
Haverhill.' 

December  25th.  Peter  Cheney  was  allowed  one  year  longer  to 
finish  his  fulling  mill. 

December  26th.  l  The  towne  granted  all  theyr  right,  title  and 
interest  in  the  stream  of  the  little  river  to  Henry  Short  so  long  as 
he  shall  build  and  maintaine  a  sufficient  corne  mill,'  and  so  forth. 

Sometime  this  year,  the  first  meeting-house  in  the  west  end  of 
the  town  was  erected.  It  was  about  thirty  feet  square,  and  was 
built  at  the  cost  and  charge  of  sixteen  persons.  It  stood  on  what 
is  called  '  the  plains.' 

1690. 

February  25th.  'Divers  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  new  towne 
having  made  a  proposition  unto  ye  towne  in  order  to  their  calling 
of  a  minister  amongst  them, 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  153 

1  The  towne  considering  the  great  weight  of  such  a  thing  and  yt 
such  an  aflfayre  may  be  duly  considered  the  towne  have  desired  [a 
committee  of  eight  persons]  to  advise  with  ye  reverend  Mr. 
Richardson  about  the  said  proposition  and  to  draw  up  such  pro- 
posals to  the  next  meeting  of  the  towne  as  they  shall  think  may 
best  conduce  to  peace  that  the  towne  may  consider  farther  of  it.'  ^ 

March  3fl?.  The  committee  waited  on  INIr.  Richardson,  who 
declined  giving  '  advice  on  the  one  side  or  the  other,  knowing  he 
must  of  necessity  give  offence.'  The  committee  reported,  'that 
considering  the  times  as  troublesome,  and  the  towne  being  so  much 
behind  with  Mr.  Richardson's  salary,  the  farmers  and  the  neck 
men  being  under  greater  disadvantages  upon  many  accounts  do 
desire  and  expect,  if  such  a  thing  be  granted  that  they  should  have 
the  same  privilege  to  provide  for  themselves,  which  we  think  can- 
not conduce  to  peace,  therefore  desire  the  new  towne  to  rest  satis- 
fied for  the  present.'  ^ 

1  March  1690.  The  committee  of  Newbury  appoint  the  house  of 
Mr.  Abraham  Merrill  to  be  a  garrison  house  and  request  him  with 
all  convenient  speed  to  fortify  his  house. 

DANIEL  PIERCE  Captain.1 

March  \\tli.  At  this  meeting,  fifteen  men,  belonging  to  the 
west  end  of  the  town,  after  stating  that  '  it  was  well  known  how 
far  they  had  proceeded  as  to  a  meeting  house,'  left  two  propositions 
with  the  town,  one  that  the  town  would  agree  to  support  two  min- 
isters, so  that  one  could  preach  '  at  the  west  meeting  house,'  or  that 
the  town  would  consent  to  have  the  '  ministry  amongst  them  upon 
their  own  charge  and  that  the  town  would  lovingly  agree  upon  a 
dividing  iine  between  them  that  so  they  might  know  what  families 
may  now  belong  to  the  west  meeting  house,'  and  so  forth. 

This  year,  Isaac  Morrill,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  came  to  New- 
bury, to  entice  Indians  and  negroes  to  leave  their  masters  and  go 
with  him,  saying  that  the  English  should  be  cut  off,  and  the  negroes 
should  be  free.  He  was  arrested  May  twenty-ninth,  1690,  and  sent  to 
Ipswich  for  trial.  What  was  the  result  of  his  examination,  I  have 
not  ascertained.  /  Their  intention  was  to  take  a  vessel  out  of  the  dock 
at  Newbury,  and  go  for  Canada  and  join  the  French  against  the 
English,  and  come  down  upon  the  backside  of  the  country  and  save 
none  but  the  negroes  and  Indians.  They  intended  to  come  with 
four  or  five  hundred  Indians,  and  three  hundred  Canadians,  between 
Haverhill  and  Amesbury,  over  Merrimac  river,  near  '  Indian  river 
by  Archelaus'  hill  on  the  backside  of  John  Emery's  meadow  and 
destroy,  and  then  they  might  easily  destroy  such  small  towns  as 
Haverhill  and  Amesbury.  Morrill  said  that  he  had  viewed  all  the 
garrisons  in  the  country  and  that  captain  Gerrish's  was  the 
strongest.'  f 

The  persons  implicated  in  this  scheme  to  obtain  their  inalienable 

*  Town  records.  t  Quarterly  court  files. 

20 


154  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

rights,  were  James,  a  negro  slave  of  Mr.  R.  Dole,  and  Joseph, 
Indian  slave  of  Mr.  Moody. 

George  Major,  a  Jersey  man,  was  also  implicated.  How  many 
slaves,  Indian  and  African,  there  were  at  this  time  in  Newbury,  we 
have  no  means  of  ascertaining.  The  number  was  probably  small, 
as  governor  Bradstreet,  in  a  letter  dated  May  nineteenth,  1680,  to 
the  lords  of  the  privy  council,  says  among  other  things,  '  now  and 
then  two  or  three  negroes  are  brought  hither  from  Barbadoes.  In 
our  government  [Massachusetts]  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  in 
all.' 

Fifteen  soldiers  were  sent  from  Newbury  to  Salisbury,  Amesbu- 
ry,  and  Haverhill,  April  twelfth. 

April  %Sth.  Sir  William  Phipps,  with  a  fleet  of  eight  small  ves- 
sels, sailed  against  Port  Royal,  [now  Annapolis,]  which  he  took 
*  with  little  or  no  resistance,'  and  returned  the  thirtieth  of  May.  His 
success  encouraged  the  court  to  attempt  the  acquisition  of  Canada, 
which  after  much  expense  and  loss  of  men  proved  a  total  failure, 
which  occasioned  so  great  an  expense  as  to  induce  the  government 
to  issue  bills  of  credit  from  two  shillings  to  ten  pounds'  denomina- 
tion. The  soldiers  were  great  sufferers  by  this  paper  money,  the 
first  seen  in  New  England. 

The  situation  of  Newbury  during  the  present  Indian  war  may  be 
in  part  ascertained  by  the  following  order,  which  is  similar  to  the 
one  passed  in  1638. 

August  "7th.  c- These  are  in  his  majesty's  name  to  require  all  the  soldiers  be- 
longing to  this  towne  to  bring  their  arms  and  ammunition  to  ye  meeting  house 
evary  saboth  day  and  at  all  other  publick  meetings,  and  also  they  ar  required  to 
carry  their  arms  and  ammunition  with  them  into  meadows  and  places,  where 
they  worke,  and  if  any  man  doe  refuse  or  neglect  his  dewty  as  above  expressed 
he  shal  pay  five  shillings  for  every  such  neglect.  * 

DANIEL  PIERCE,  captain.  JONA.  MOORES,  lieutenant, 

THOMAS  NOTES,  captain,  JACOB  TOPPAN,  ensign, 

STEPH.  GREENLEAF,  captain,      HENRY  SOMERBY.' 

July  15th.  '  John  March  is  appointed  a  captain  of  one  of  the 
companies  for  the  Canada  expedition,  and  ordered  to  enlist  a  com- 
pany under  him.' 

The  following  letter  from  Nathaniel  Saltonstall,  esquire',  may  not 
be  uninteresting.  It  is  from  Robert  Adams's  manuscripts. 

1 Haverhill  August  20th}  1690. 
1  Captain  Noyes, 

1  After  you  were  gone  being  thoughtfull  how  yourself  and  the  rest 
with  you  last  night  would  get  home,  I  began  to  have  some  hopes  concerning 
you,  because  I  did  not  believe  your  dinners  would  ly  upon  your  stomachs  so  as 
to  indispose  you  in  riding  unless  in  vexation  for  the  want  of  one  •  there  being  a 
common  saying ;  a  man  after  a  good  dinner  is  most  airy  and  most  agile  and 
readie  for  riding  or  such  kind  of  imployments. 

1  James  Sanders  just  now  promised  me  to  call  for  this  letter,  which  incloses 

*  Robert  Adams's  manuscripts. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  155 


ye  papers,  yt  are  to  be  improved  ye  next  lecture  day  about  Joseph  Bayley  and 
John  Chase. 

I  Fail  not  of  giving  me  a  true  account  of  your  management  of  ye  matter,  and 
now  it  comes  just  into  my  mind  to  propose  to  you  for  your  farther  proceeding ; 
and  if  you  act  accordingly  hereto  it  shall  be  owned  by  me  notwithstanding  the 
issue  made  :  which  will  without  doubt  fully  be  known  to  all  your  people.     It  is 
this,  if  ye  said  Joseph  or  John  do,  carry  it  submissively  and  give  you  thereby 
ground  to  hope  that  their  confession  was  from  ye  heart,  which  I  for  some  reason 
account  so  to  be,  you  may  tell  them  you  will  venture  to  stop  their  publique 
appearance  on  ye  lecture  day  ;  which  if  they  afterward  run  into  ye  like  evils 
will  be  a  great  aggravation  of  their  fault. 

I 1  will  tell  you.     Formerly  when  I  had  prosecuted  several  for  offences  in  ye 
field  at  court  too,  and  judgment  given  for  their  open  confession  at  ye  head  of  ye 
company,  I  did  abate  it  and  I  found  I  did  not  offend  ye  court,  but  engaged  ye 
person  to  civility  and  thankfulness. 

1  Let  me  have  a  punctual  return  yt  I  may  know  what  I  have  to  do. 

1  If  they  or  either  of  them  be  insolent  let  not  them  or  him,  yt  is  so,  be  abated 
of  ye  full  extent  of  what  is  written  in  ye  judgment. 

1  Give  a  little  assistance  to  James  Sanders  to  obtain  my  lettre,  which  brother 
Woodbridge  writes  me  word  he  sent  long  since  by  major  Davison.  I  suppose  it 
was  at  yt  time  when  -  Clark  had  ye to  gett  a  canonical  auricular  con- 
fessor for  himself  and  family. 

1  Present  my  service  to  ye  lady  Noyes,  and  ye  major  the  C****  Mr  Rich- 
ardson, and  any  one  else,  who  will  send  me  a  cheap  freight  of  good  hay,  I 
care  not  how  cheap.  Believe  it,  sir,  and  yt  I  am  your  servant. 

N.  SALTONSTALL.' 

October.  <  Captain  Stephen  Greenleaf,  lieutenant  James  Smith, 
ensign  William  Longfellow  serjeant  Increase  Pilsbury,  William 
Mitchell,  Jabez  Musgrave  of  Newbury  and  four  more  were  cast 
away  and  drowned  at  Cape  Breton.'  # 

Of  Jabez  Musgrave,  mentioned  above,  Mather,  in  his  Remarka- 
ables,  thus  speaks  in  1684. 

'  Remarkable  also  was  that  which  happened  to  Jabez  Musgrave 
of  Newbury,  who  being  shot  by  an  Indian  [in  1676]  the  bullet  en- 
tered in  at  his  ear  and  went  out  at  his  eye  on  the  other  side  of  his 
head,  yet  the  man  was  preserved  from  death  yea  and  still  is  in  the 
land  of  the  living.' 

Musgrave  was  one  of  the  sixteen  soldiers  from  Newbury,  who 
volunteered  to  go  in  this  disastrous  expedition. 

This  year,  major  Robert  Pike,  of  Salisbury,  thus  writes : 

*  Captain  Pierce,  captain  Noyes,  captain  Greenleaf,  and  lieuten- 
ant  Moores  with  the  rest  of  the  gentlemen  of  Newbury,  whose 
assistance  next  under  God  was  the  means  of  the  preservation  of  our 
towns  of  Salisbury  and  Amesbury  in  the  day  of  our  distress  by 
the  assaults  of  the  enemy. 

'  First  I  give  you  my  hearty  thanks  for  your  readiness  to  adven- 
ture yourselves  in  that  service,  as  always  you  have  been  ready  to 
do  and  so  forth. 

*  Second,  to  request  the  like  favour  of  you  upon  the  like  occasion, 
if  any  such  be  offered. 

1  Third,  that  no  duntfi  which  is  common  pay  in  the  country,  may 

*  Judge  Sewall's  diary.  f  '  I  hae  a  guid  braid  sword, 

I  '11  take  dunt s  frae  naebody.'    Burns. 


156  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

hinder  any  advised  man  from  doing  thayr  duty,  which  is  the  advice 
that  I  give  to  myself,  which  you  cannot  but  think  have  and  shall  have 
as  much  dunt  as  I  can  bear,'  and  so  forth. 

Captain  John  March  and  Mrs.  Ann  White  were  this  year  licensed 
as  innholders. 

This  year,  Essex  soldiers  were  divided  into  three  regiments. 

1691. 

March  10th.  The  selectmen  were  desired  to  take  care  that  per- 
sons infected  with  the  small  pox  should  be  confined,  and  that  their 
'  families  should  not  suffer,  if  they  were  themselves  unable.'  ^ 

May  13th.  *  The  town  voted  that  from  this  time  forward  the 
moderator  shall  be  chosen  by  papers,  and  that  it  shall  not  be  in  the 
po*wer  of  any  moderator  to  adjourn  a  towne  meeting  but  by  vote  of 
the  towne.'  %• 

'  The  town  grants  Mr.  Seth  Shove  thirty  pounds  for  the  year 
ensuing,  provided  he  will  be  our  schoolmaster  and  so  forth  as  fol- 
io weth  namely  to  teach  readers  free,  Latin  scholars  vsix  pence  per 
week,  writers  and  cypherers  fourpence  per  week,  to  keep  the  school 
one  third  part  of  the  year  at  the  middle  of  the  new  towne,  one  third 
part  at  the  school  house,  and  the  other  third  part  about  middle  way 
between  the  meeting  house  and  oldtown  ferry.'  ^ 

June  21st.  The  officers  of  the  two  militia  companies  issued  an 
order  to  Henry  Short,  requiring  him  *  in  his  majesties  name  to  take 
care  of  his  watch  every  night.'  They  were  fifty-one  in  all.  '  They 
are  alike  required  to  come  to  your  house  to  take  their  charge.  You 
are  to  order  them  to  go  to  George  Little's  garrison,  and  there  one  of 
them  is  to  keep  his  post  all  the  night.  The  rest  are  to  walk  three 
in  a  night  to  the  mill  bridge,  and  from  thence  to  Anthony  Morse's 
house  and  elsewhere  according  to  your  direction.  The  number  of 
men  belonging  to  your  care  and  charge  are  under  express,'  and  so 
forth,  and  so  forth. 

July  Hth.  i  The  towne  understanding  that  several  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  new  towne  are  about  calling  of  Mr.  [Edward]  Tompson 
.to  be  their  minister,  the  towne  did  by  vote  manifest  their  dislike 
against  it,  or  against  any  other  minister,  whom  they  should  call, 
until  ye  church  and  towne  are  agreed  upon  it,  looking  upon  such  a 
thing  to  be  an  intrusion  upon  ye  church  and  towne.' 

August  21st.  The  commissioner  with  the  selectmen  states  the 
number  of  ratable  polls  to  be  two  hundred  and  fifty. 

October.  Several  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  west  end  of  the  town 
petitioned  the  general  court  *  to  be  established  a  people  by  them- 
selves for  the  maintenance  of  the  ministry  among  them.' 

December.  The  town  did  by  vote  manifest  themselves  'against 
the  new  town  having  their  petition  granted,'  and  chose  a  committee 
to  present  a  counter  petition  to  the  general  court. 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY.  157 

This  year  Newbury  was  allowed  by  the  general  court  to  have 
another  house  of  entertainment 


1692. 

In  February  of  this  year,  commenced  the  witchcraft  delusion, 
which,  for  a  long  time,  occasioned  so  much  terror,  distress,  and 
suffering,  in  several  towns  in  Massachusetts.  It  originated  in  Salem 
village,  now  Danvers,  in  the  family  of  the  reverend  Samuel  Parris, 
whose  *  daughter  and  niece,  girls  of  ten  or  eleven  years  of  age,  and 
two  other  girls  in  the  neighborhood,  began  to  act  very  strangely, 
appeared  to  fall  into  fits,  would  creep  into  holes,  under  benches  and 
chairs,'  put  themselves  into  odd  postures,  and,  as  the  physicians  who 
examined  them  could  give  no  satisfactory  name  to  their  apparent 
disorder,  and  probably  feeling  that  he  must  say  something,  one  of 
them  very  gravely  pronounced  them  bewitched.  From  this  begin- 
ning, originating  in  fraud  and  imposture,  and  continued  by  the 
grossest  superstition  and  ignorance,  combined  with  great  fear,  for 
no  one  was  safe,  arose  those  accusations  and  l  prosecutions  of  the 
people,  under  the  notion  of  witches,  whereby  twenty  suffered  as 
evil  doers,  (besides  those  that  died  in  prison,)  about  ten  more 
condemned,  a  hundred  imprisoned,  and  about  two  hundred  more 
accused,  and  the  country  generally  in  fears,  when  it  would  come 
then*  turn  to  be  accused.'  *  In  the  language  of  the  reverend  Charles 
W.  Upham,  <  all  the  securities  of  society  were  dissolved.  Every 
man's  life  was  at  the  mercy  of  every  other  man.  Fear  sat  on  every 
countenance ;  terror  and  distress  were  in  all  hearts;  silence  pervaded 
the  streets;  many  of  the  people  left  the  country;  all  business  was 
at  a  stand,  and  the  feeling,  dismal  and  horrible  indeed,  became 
general,  that  the  providence  of  God  was  removed  from  them,  and 
that  they  were  given  over  to  the  dominion  of  Satan.'  f  From  this 
awful  scourge,  New^bury  was  wholly  exempt,  though  we  have 
abundant  evidence,  that  the  inhabitants  participated  in  the  almost 
universal  belief,  that  witchcraft  was  a  reality.  It  was  a  fault  of 
the  age,  from  which  the  most  pious,  and,  in  other  respects,  learned 
men,  were  not  free.  Sir  Matthew  Hale  was  a  firm  believer  in 
witchcraft,  and  the  celebrated  Richard  Baxter,  in  a  preface  to  one 
of  Cotton  Mather's  sermons,  on  a  case  of  supposed  witchcraft, 
declares,  '  that  this  instance  comes  with  such  convincing  evidence, 
that  he  must  be  an  obstinate  Sadducee,  \?ho  will  not  believe  it'  It 
is  well  observed  bv  governor  Hutchinson,  that  '  in  all  ages  of  the 
world,  superstitious  credulity  has  produced  greater  cruelty  than  is 
practised  among  the  Hottentots,  or  other  nations  whose  belief  of  a 
deity  is  called  in  question.' 

March.     Several  of  the  west  end  people,  again  made  a  petition 
and  proposition  about  calling  a  minister. 

*  Robert  Calef.  t  Lectures  on  witchcraft. 


158  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

May  l^th.  Sir  William  Phipps  arrived  at  Boston,  with  the  new 
charter  for  the  Massachusetts  province. 

July  14^.  Thanksgiving  appointed  on  account  of  peace,  the 
charter,  and  so  forth. 

November  1st.  By  special  order  of  Sir  William  Phipps,  twelve 
soldiers  were  sent  from  Newbury  to  Haverhill. 

December  13th.  Town  ordered  that  <  whosoever  shall  build  any 
vessels  on  the  towne  common  shall  pay  to  the  town  threepence  per 
ton  for  the  use  of  the  building  yard,  that  they  shall  improve.'  ^ 

December  20th.  The  town  voted  '  that  they  would  call  another 
minister  at  the  west  end  of  the  towne.'  Against  this  vote,  twenty- 
two  of  the  '  west  end '  men  entered  their  dissent.  =fc 

December  27th.  A  committee  was  chosen  'to  enquire  after  a 
suitable  person  to  preach  to  the  west  end  and  to  keep  schoole.'  # 

This  year,  a  petition  to  divide  Essex  county  was  presented  to  the 
general  court ;  Newbury  was  allowed  to  have  another  house  of  en- 
tertainment ;  and  the  grand  jury  of  Essex  county  '  presented  Joseph 
Bailey  for  saying  the  men  appointed  by  the  town  to  answer  the 
petition  of  those,  who  wanted  another  minister  were  devils  incarnate.' 

1693. 

April  20th.  The  town  <  chose  Tristram  Coffin  treasurer  for  the 
poor.'  ^ 

May  12th.  *  Towne  voted  that  Mr.  John  Clarke  be  called  to 
assist  Mr.  Richardson  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  at  the  west  end 
of  the  towne  to  preach  to  them  one  year  in  order  to  farther  settle- 
ment and  also  to  keep  a  grammar  schoole.'  * 

May  31st.  The  selectmen  of  Newbury,  in  their  petition  to  the 
general  court,  state  that '  a  long  difference  has  existed  between  the 
people  of  Newbury,  and  those  in  the  west  end  of  the  town  about 
calling  a  minister,  that  the  west  end  people  had  called  Mr.  Edward 
Tomson  to  preach  to  them  without  acquainting  the  minister,  church 
or  towne  with  their  proceedings  in  that  affair,  the  which  when  our 
town  did  understand  that  they  were  about  to  bring  him  into  town, 
the  town  being  met  to  consider  of  it  by  their  vote  did  declare  that 
they  were  against  his  coming,  or  any  other  until  the  church  and 
town  were  agreed,  yet  they  persisted  in  their  design  and  brought 
him  in,  and  when  he  was  come  in  our  minister  warned  him  to 
forbear  preaching  till  the  church  and  town  were  agreed,  yet  he 
presumed  to  set  up  a  lecture,  and  preach  without  any  allowance  of 
ministers,  church  or  town,  which  when  the  church  did  understand, 
they  did  call  him  to  account,  and  declared  their  dislike  of  his  irreg- 
ular proceeding,  yet  he  hath  persisted  in  these  irregularities  to  the 
great  disturbance  of  our  peace,  and  since  upon  the  request  of  sev- 
erall  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  west  end  of  our  towne,  called  another 
minister,  Mr.  John  Clark,  who  hath  accepted  of  the  call,  and  yet 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  159 

there  are  severall,  who  refuse  to  accept  of  him,  pretending  they  are 
bound  to  said  Tomson,  which  agreement  they  made  when  the  rest 
of  their  neighbors  were  about  to  make  application  to  the  town, 
which  was  since  the  late  law  was  made  to  direct  the  town  to  call 
the  minister.' 

June  15th.  A  committee  of  the  west  end  people,  in  their  petition, 
thus  reply.  They  request  the  governor  and  council  *  to  pity  and 
help  them,'  'to  ease  them  of  a  heavy  burden  of  travel  on  God's  day.' 
1  We  have  been,'  say  they,  <  endeavoring  above  these  five  years  to 
have  the  publick  worship  of  God  established  among  us  on  the 
Lord's  day  for  reasons  such  as  these.  The  bulk  of  us  live  four 
miles  from  the  ould  meeting  house,  some  six  or  seven.  Our  num- 
ber is  above  three  hundred.  Few  of  us  have  horses,  and  if  we 
could  get  down  to  the  ould  meeting  house,  it  is  impossible  it  should 
receive  us  with  them  so  that  many  [would]  lay  out  of  doors,  the  house 
is  so  little.  Some  of  us  have  groaned  under  this  burden  this  thirty 
years,  some  grown  old,  some  sickly,  and  although  we  were  favored 
with  the  liberty  granted  by  king  James  the  second  and  had  erected 
an  house  to  the  worship  of  God  on  our  o^n  cost  and  charge,  and 
acquainted  the  two  next  justices  with  our  intent  before  we  built  the 
said  house.  A  committee  of  five  were  appointed  to  ;come  on  the 
place,  but  before  they  had  finished  their  work,  the  governor  arrived, 
which  caused  them  to  desist.  We  complained  to  the  governor, 
who  granted  us  a  protection  from  paying  to  the  ould  meeting  house, 
then  countermanded  it.  The  town  had  a  meeting  —  they  intend  to 
delude  us  by  granting  the  help  of  a  schoolmaster  at  sometimes  for 
one  yeare.  We  believe  our  neighbours  would  be  glad  to  see  us 
quite  tired  out.  We  beg  the  honorable  court  to  establish  peace 
among  us  a  rational  dividing  line.' 

<  June  15th,  1693.' 

July  5th.  <  The  towne  in  theyr  votes  for  the  choyce  of  a  minister 
for  the  west  end  of  the  towne  in  order  to  a  full  settlement  in  the 
work  of  the  ministry  and  Mr.  John  Clarke  was  then  chosen  and  not 
one  vote  against  him.'  ^ 

July  5th.  Twenty-five  persons  of  the  west  end  entered  their 
dissent  against  *  calling  Mr.  Clark.  The  reason  is  because  the  new 
towne  people  have  a  minister  already.'  # 

This  year,  a  jury  of  twelve  women  held  an  inquest  on  the  body 
of  Elizabeth  Hunt,  of  Newbury.  The  following  is  an  accurate 
copy  of  their  verdict,  which  was  doubtless  perfectly  conclusive  and 
satisfactory. 

'  We  judge  according  to  our  best  light  and  contients,  that  the 
death  of  said  Elizabeth  was  not  by  any  violens  or  wrong  dun  to 
her  by  any  parson  or  thing,  but  by  som  soden  stoping  of  her  breath/ 

September  26th.  On  this  day,  the  court  of  common  pleas  held 
its  first  sessions  in  Newbury.  The  court  was  held  in  the  first  parish; 


meeting-house. 


*  Town  records. 


160  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 


1694. 

February  21st.  Liberty  was  granted  to  the  petitioners  '  to  erect 
between  captain  Noyes'  lane  and  Mr.  Woodbridge's  [upper  green] 
a  little  house  for  the  accommodation  of  a  good  and  sufficient  schoole 
dame.'  A  similar  petition  was  granted  to  deacon  William  Noyes, 
1  to  sett  up  a  schoole  house  upon  the  towne's  land.' 

A  salary  of  ( twenty  pounds  in  money  and  fifty  pounds  in  graine 
was  voted  to  ye  reverend  Mr.  John  Clarke  so  long  as  he  carry  on 
the  worke  of  the  ministry.'  Mr.  Clark  having  declined  the  call, 
Mr.  Christopher  Toppan  was  invited  '  to  preach  at  the  new  towne.' 
Mr.  Toppan  having  declined  settling,  but  expressing  his  willingness 
'  to  help  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  for  a  year,'  the  town  voted  '  to 
give  Mr.  Toppan  forty  pounds  in  money  and  four  contributions  a 
year.' 

March  26th.  The  town  granted  permission  to  John  Kelly,  senior, 
to  keep  a  ferry  over  the  Merrimac,  at  Holt's  rocks,  '  in  the  place 
where  he  now  dwells.'  Ferriage,  '  sixpence  for  horse  and  man, 
and  twopence  for  a  single  man.' 

September  4th.  '  Mr.  Joseph  Pike  and  Richard  Long,'  both  of 
Newbury,  '  were  shot  by  the  Indians  as  they  were  traveling  near 
the  end  of  Pond  plain,'  ^  in  Haverhill. 

September  5th.  A  committee,  consisting  of  Joshua  Brown,  John 
Ordway,  and  Samuel  Bartlet,  petitioned  to  the  general  court,  '  in 
behalf  of  the  company,  that  as  they  had  erected  a  meeting  house, 
and  supplied  themselves  with  a  minister  yet  nevertheless  our 
distresses  do  continually  grow  upon  us  toward  an  insupportable 
extremity,  since  the  imprisoning  of  some  of  our  number  for  their 
signifying  our  desire  to  enjoy  the  minister,  whom  we  had  formerly 
invited  to  preach  in  the  meeting  house,  which  we  built  at  our  own 
cost  and  charge,  and  some  of  us  have  been  fined  for  not  delivering 
up  the  key  of  the  said  meeting  house.' 

They  conclude  by  requesting  the  general  court,  that  they  would 
1  so  far  interpose  in  our  concerns  as  to  take  some  effectual  care  for 
the  relief  of  your  petitioners  and  for  the  quiet  of  the  whole  town, 
the  peace  whereof  is  now  so  dangerously  interrupted.'  f 

October  22d.  '  The  town  brought  in  theyr  votes  by  papers,'  for 
a  minister  for  '  the  west  end  of  the  towne  of  Newbury  and  Mr. 
Christopher  Toppan  had  sixty- five  votes  and  Mr.  Tompson 
seventeen.'  J 

December  2lst.  A  committee  of  five  were  chosen  c  to  draw  up 
articles  and  proposals  in  order  to  setting  off  part  of  the  west  end  of 
the  towne '  f  as  a  separate  parish. 

This  year,  a  petition  was  sent  to  the  governor  and  council,  from 
Newbury  and  four  other  towns,  for  a  division  of  the  county  of  Essex. 

'  John  and  Samuel  Bartlet,  Abraham   Morrill  John  Emery  and 

*  Reverend  John  Pike's  journal.         t  General  court  files.          J  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  161 

Joseph  Bailey  were  bound  over  and  admonished  for  opposing  their 
ordained  minister,  Mr.  John  Richardson.' 


1695. 

January  1st.  The  town  met  and  'voted  that  Pipe-stave  hill  near 
Daniel  Jaques'  house  shall  be  the  place  for  the  meeting  house,  and 
those  that  live  nearest  to  that  place  shall  pay  to  the  ministry  there, 
and  those  that  live  nearest  to  the  old  meeting  house  shah1  pay  there, 
the  inhabitants  at  the  west  end  to  choose  a  minister  for  themselves, 
only  Mr.  Tompson  excepted.'  '  And  the  meeting  house  to  stand 
where  it  do,  until  the  major  part  of  them  see  cause  to  remove  it' 
t  The  dividing  line  shall  be  from  the  middle  way  from  the  prefixed 
place  in  Pipe-stave  hill  and  the  old  meeting  house,  to  run  on  a 
straight  line  to  Francis  Brown's  house  near  Birchen  meadows  and 
so  straight  over  to  the  little  pond.'  ^ 

January  3d.  Tristram  Coffin,  Henry  Short,  and  Abraham  Mer- 
rill, divided  the  town  into  two  parishes. 

Hugh  March,  in  behalf  of  himself  and  brother,  captain  John 
March,  petitioned  the  town  '  to  grant  them  a  piece  of  ground  and 
flatts  to  build  a  wharf  and  dock  near  captain  March's  barn.'^ 
This  petition  was  granted  on  certain  conditions,  January  sixteenth, 
provided  they  are  built '  within  three  years.'  ^ 

March  17/A.  '  Mr.  John  Woodbridge  dies,  a  good  man  and  a 
constant  attendant  upon  God  in  his  publick  worship  on  the  Lord's 
day.'  f 

'June  5th.  '  Town  voted  to  give  Mr.  Christopher  Toppan  twenty 
pounds  yearly  in  money  and  three  hundred  pounds  a  year  in  good 
country  pay  so  long  as  he  carries  on  one  half  of  the  ministry  among 
them,  and  thirty  pounds  a  year  so  long  as  he  shall  keep  a  grammar 
and  a  writing  st-hoole,  the  scholars  to  pay  as  they  did  to  Mr.  John 
Clarke,'  which  proposals  Mr.  Toppan  accepted,  July  seventeenth. 

September  9th.  l  Twenly-four  men  at  Pemaquid,  going  to  get 
wood,  are  shot,  four  of  whom  are  dead.  Serjeant  Hugh  March, 
[of  iNewbury,]  George's  son,  was  killed  at  the  first  shot.'  f 

October  1th.  On  the  afternoon  of  this  day,  five  Indians  attacked 
and  plundered  the  house  of  John  Brown,  who  lived  on  the  westerly 
side  of  Turkey  hill,  and  captivated  nine  persons ;  one  only  of  the 
family  escaped  to  tell  the  tale.  On  the  same  day,  colonel  Daniel 
Pierce  sent  the  following  letter  to  colonel  Appleton  and  colonel 
Wade,  of  Ipswich. 

1  Sir,  this  afternoon  there  came  the  enemy  to  a  house  in  our  town  and  went  in 
and  took  and  carried  away  nine  persons  and  plundered  the  house,  and  as  near 
as  we  can  gather,  they  went  southwestwardly  between  Boxford  and  Bradford. 
We  can  not  gather  that  there  were  above  five  of  the  enemy,  but  night  came  on 
so  that  we  could  not  pursue  them,  but  we  have  lined  Merrimac  river  with  about 
fourscore  men  to  watch  lest  they  should  carry  the  captives  over  the  river,  and 

*  Town  records.  t  Judge  Sewall's  diary. 

21 


162  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

do  design  in  the  morning  to  pursue  them  and  range  the  woods  with  all  the  force 
we  can  make,  and  think  it  advisable  that  you  range  the  woods  towards  Andover, 
and  that  Rowley  towards  Bradford,  for  if  they  escape  us  it  will  be  an  encourage- 
ment to  them.  Sir,  I  do  think  the  case  requires  our  utmost  industry  who  am 
your  friend  and  servant, 

D.  PIERCE. 

October  1th,  1695.' 

To  this  letter  was  appended  the  following. 

1  Colonel  Gedney, 

Honored  sir,  it  is  thought  advisable  on  the  consideration  abovesaid  yt  it 
may  be  beneficial  for  the  several  companies  in  the  several  townes  to  range  ye 
woods  with  all  possible  speed  towards  Bradford  and  Andover  and  so  towards 
Merrimack  river,  so  that  if  it  might  be  ye  enemy  may  be  found,  and  destroyed, 
which  spoyle  our  people. 

Ipswich,  October  eighth,  at  five  in  the  morning. 

Your  servant, 

SAMUEL  APPLETON.' 

Three  hours  after  this,  colonel  Thomas  Wade  thus  writes  from 
Ipswich. 

1  Honored  sir, 

Just  now  captain  Wicom  brings  information  that  the  last  night  captain 
Greenleaf  with  a  party  of  men  met  with  the  enemy  by  the  river  side,  have  re- 
deemed all  the  captives  but  one,  which  they  doubt  is  killed.  Three  of  the  In- 
dians got  into  a  canoe  and  made  escape,  and  the  other  two  ran  into  the  woods. 
Captain  Greenleaf  is  wounded  in  the  side  and  arm,  how  much  we  know  not, 
which  is  all  at  present  from  your  servant, 

THOMAS  WADE.' 

Judge  Sewall,  in  his  journal,  says,  '  all  the  captives  were  brought 
back,  save  one  boy,  that  was  killed.  The  Indians  knocked  the  rest 
on  the  head,  save  one  infant.' 

Reverend  John  Pike,  in  his  journal,  states,  that '  the  captives  Were 
all  retaken  but  some  died  of  their  wounds.' 

On  the  fifth  of  March,  1696,  captain  Greenleaf  addressed  the  fol- 
lowing petition  to  the  general  court. 

1  The  petition  of  captain  Stephen  Greenleaf  of  Newbury, 
1  Humbly  sheweth, 

i  That  upon  the  seventh  of  October  last  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  a  party  of  Indians  surprised  a  family  at  Turkey  hill  in  said  town  cap- 
tivated nine  persons,  women  and  children,  rifled  the  house,  carrying  away  bed- 
ding and  other  goods.  Only  one  person  escaped  and  gave  notice  to  the  next 
family  and  they,  the  town.  Upon  the  alarm  your  petitioner  with  a  party  of  men 
pursued  after  the  enemy,  endeavouring  to  line  the  river  Merrimack  to  prevent 
their  passage,  by  which  means  the  captives  were  recovered  and  brought  back. 

'  The  enemy  lay  in  a  gully  hard  by  the  highway  and  about  nine  at  night  made 
a  shot  at  your  petitioner  and  shot  him  through  the  wrist  between  the  bones,  and 
also  made  a  large  wound  in  his  side,  which  wounds  have  been  very  painful  and 
costly  to  your  petitioner  in  the  cure  of  them  and  have  in  a  great  measure  utterly 
taken  away  the  use  of  his  left  hand  and  wholly  taken  him  off  from  his  employ- 
ment this  winter. 

•  Your  petitioner  therefore  humbly  prays  this  honored  court  that  they  would 
make  him  such  compensation  as  shall  seem  fit,  which  he  shall  thankfully 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  163 

acknowledge  and  doubts  not  but  will  be  an  encouragement  to  others  speedily  to 
relieve  their  neighbours  when  assaulted  by  so  barbarous  an  enemy; 
And  your  petitioner  shall  ever  pray, 

STEPHEN  GREENLEAF. 

'March  6th.  Read  and  voted  that  there  be  paid  out  of  the  province  treasury 
to  the  petitioner  the  sum  of  forty  pounds.' 

From  one  of  John  Brown's  descendants,  William  G.  White,  I 
learn  the  following  particulars  as  a  family  tradition.  The  Indians 
had  secreted  themselves  for  some  time  near  the  house,  waiting  for 
the  absence  of  the  male  members  of  the  family,  who,  about  three 
o'clock,  departed  with  a  load  of  turnips.  The  Indians  then  rushed 
from  their  concealment,  tomahawked  a  girl,  who  was  standing  at  the 
front  door.  Another  girl,  who  had  concealed  herself  as  long  as  the 
Indians  remained,  immediately  after  their  departure  gave  the  alarm, 
which  resulted  as  before  related.  The  coat,  which  captain  Green- 
leaf  wore  in  his  pursuit  of  the  Indians,  is  still  preserved  by  his  de- 
scendants, together  with  the  bullet,  which  was  extracted  from  his 
wound.  This,  I  believe,  is  the  only  instance,  in  which  the  Indians 
either  attacked,  captivated,  or  killed,  any  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Newbury. 

From  the  original  document  now  in  my  possession,  I  copy  the 
following.  % 

'October  14th,  1695.     To  Abraham  Merrill  of  Newbury. 

.'  These  Are  In  his  Majesty's  name  to  will  and  Requier  you  to  take  the  Gear  to 
seat  the  watch  of  five  men  A  night  Begining  att  Samuel  Poores  and  Job  Pils- 
buryes  and  all  Bayer's  Lean  [lane]  to  Edward  Poores  and  soe  Runing  by  ye 
Road  to  Hartichoak  river  and  soe  Notherly  Except  the  Boundars.  You  Are 
Likewise  Required  to  Ordar  two  of  said  watchmen  upon  Dewty  to  walke  Dowen 
to  Daniei  Merrill's  and  two  more  to  John  Ordways  att  thaier  returen  Always 
keeping  out  a  Sentinell  upon  dewty.  You  are  also  to  Make  return  of  all  defacts 
unto  the  Capten  to  whom  they  belong  forthwith.  It  is  also  desiered  that  you 
demand  and  require  ye  fien  for  each  man's  defeact  and  upon  their  refusal!  to 
make  return  as  aforesaid.' 

December  1.8th.  The  town, c  on  the  request  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  west  end  of  the  towne  of  Newbury,  granted  them  five  acres  of 
land  on  the  east  side  of  Artichoke  river  for  a  pasture  for  the  minis- 
try and  one  acre  of  land  near  the  west  meeting  house,  and  when  the 
major  part  shall  see  cause  to  remove  the  said  meeting  house,  the 
land  shall  be  at  the  disposal  of  the  towne  to  procure  land  for  the 
ministry,  near  the  west  meeting  house,  when  removed.''* 


1696. 

February  28th.  A  rate  was  made  for  payment  of  building  and 
finishing  the  west  end  meeting-house  and  ministry  house.  The  ex- 
pense was  twenty-two  pounds  and  three  shillings  in  money,  and 
two  hundred  and  eighteen  pounds,  eighteen  shillings,  and  twopence 

*  Town  records. 


164  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

in  pay.  This  was  due  from  sixty-four  persons.  Of  this  number, 
twenty-four,  namely,  Benjamin  and  Joseph  Morse,  Thomas,  Daniel 
and  Moses  Chase,  John,  senior,  John,  junior,  and  Abiel  Kelly,  Mr. 
Abraham  Annis  and  Isaac,  Joseph  Richardson,  Abel  Iluse,  Caleb 
Moody,  Benjamin  Low,  Tristram  Greenleaf,  Daniel  Morrison,  Ed- 
ward Woodman,  John  Hoag,  Hanariah  Ordway,  Thomas  Follans- 
bee,  lieutenant  John  Emerson,  Thomas  Williams,  Francis  Willet, 
and  Samuel  Sayer,  junior,  objected  to  the  continuance  of  the  meet- 
ing house  on  the  plains,  and  wished  to  have  it  removed  to  Pipe 
stave  hill.  The  contest,  thus  commenced,  continued  for  many  years 
with  an  obstinacy  and  bitterness,  to  which  the  annals  of  Newbury 
furnish  no  parallel.  Its  results  we  shall  hereafter  see. 

March  1st.  The  town  granted  to  Stephen  Greenleaf  '  four  or 
five  rods  on  the  flatts  from  Watts'  cellar  spring  to  ensign  Greenleaf's 
and  Mr.  Davison's  grant  from  high  water  mark  to  low  water  mark 
to  build  a  wharfe  and  a  place  to  build  vessels  uppon,'  on  certain 
conditions,  one  was  '  that  it  come  not  within  ten  or  twelve  feet  of 
the  spring.'^ 

July  29th.  The  town  offers  Mr.  Nicholas  Webster  thirty  pounds 
a  year  in  country  pay  to  keep  a  '  grammer  schoole  provided  he  de- 
mand but  fourpence  per  week  for  Latin  scholars  and  teach  the  town's 
children  to  read,  write  and  cypher  without  pay.'^ 

September  9th.     Reverend  Christopher  Toppan  ordained. 

c  The  winter  of  this  year  was  the  coldest  since  the  first  settlement 
of  New  England.'  Lewis's  history  of  Lynn* 

1697- 

March.  Laid  out  to  Stephen  Greenleaf  a  '  parcel  of  flatts  and 
rocks  lying  on  Merrirnack  river  near  Watts'  cellar,  bounded  north- 
erly by  the  river,  easterly  by  major  Davison's  grant,  southerly  by 
the  common  land  of  Newbury  and  the  westerly  bound  comes 
within  about  fifteen  foot  of  the  spring.' 

''March  \\ih.  The  town  laid  out  to  Anthony  Somerby  a  piece  of 
land  three  rods  square,  lying  at  the  place  knowne  by  the  name  of 
Glading's  spring  f  bounded  by  the  common  or  undivided  land  of 
Newbury  on  every  side,  bounded  with  a  small  rock  at  every  corner, 
for  the  convenience  of  dressing  of  leather.'  ^ 

' April  25th,  Thursday.  This  day  is  signalized  by  ye  achieve- 
ment of  Hannah  Dunstan,  Mary  Neff  and  Samuel  Lennardson, 
who  killed  two  men,  two  women,  and  six  others  and  brought  home 
their  scalps.'  f 

This  year  ensign  James  Noyes  made  a  great  discovery.  It  is 
thus  mentioned  by  Judge  Sewall  in  his  diary. 

1 1697.  Colonel  Pierce  gave  an  account  of  ye  body  of  limestone 
discovered  at  Newbury  and  the  order  of  the  selectmen  published  by 

*  Town  records. 

t '  Glading's  spring'  is  a  few  rods  southwesterly  from  Mr.  Silas  Noyes's  house. 

J  Judge  Sewall. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  165 

James  Brown  deputy  sheriff,  to  prohibit  any  persons  from  carrying 
any  more  away  under  ye  penalty  of  twenty  shillings.  It  seems  they 
began  to  come  with  teams  thirty  in  a  day.  The  town  will  have  a 
meeiing  and  bring  it  to  some  regulation.  Our  Mumford  says  't  is 
good  marble.  Ensign  James  Noyes  found  it  out.' 

We  at  the  present  time  can  hardly  conceive  of  the  excitement 
occasioned  in  the  town  and  neighborhood  by  this  discovery.  It  was 
deemed  by  judge  Sewall  worthy  of  special  notice,  as  an  ans\ver, 
among  other  things,  to  a  letter  written  from  New  England  to  Old 
England,  '  discoursing  of  an  impossibility  of  subsisting  here.'  lie 
thus  writes  in  his  '  Phenomena  quoedam  apocalyptica,'  page  sixty- 
fourth,  published  this  year. 

1  This  summer  ensign  James  Noyes  hath  happily  discovered  a 
body  of  marble  at  Newbvry,  within  half  a  mile  of  the  navigable 
part  of  Little  river,  by  which  means  very  good  lime  is  made  within 
the  province.' 

From  this  extract  it  would  appear  that  this  body  of  limestone  was 
the  first  discovered  in  Massachusetts.  Certain  it  is,  that  vast  quan- 
tities of  lime  of  the  best  quality  were  annually  made  in  Newbury, 
for  nearly  a  century,  for  export  as  well  as  for  home  use.  Prior  to 
this  time,  lime  was  manufactured  from  oyster  and  clam  shells.  Lewis, 
in  his  very  minute  and  accurate  history  of  Lynn,  informs  us  under 
the  year  1696,  that '  immense  numbers  of  great  clams  were  thrown 
upon  the  beaches  by  storms.  The  people  were  permitted,  by  a  vote 
of  the  town,  to  dig  and  gather  as  many  as  they  wished  for  their  own 
use,  but  no  more  ;  and  no  person  was  allowed  to  carry  any  out  of 
the  town,  on  a  penalty  of  twenty  shillings.  The  shells  were  gath- 
ered in  cart  loads  on  the  beach  and  manufactured  into  lime.' 

July.     *  Sore  and  long  continued  drought.' 

July  22d.  '  Drought  continuing  many  of  the  towns  and  churches 
had  days  of  fasting  and  prayer.'  # 

September  12th.  i  Our  army  abroad  under  the  command  of  ma- 
jor John  March  [of  Newbury]  going  ashore  at  a  place,  called  Dam- 
aris  cove,  a  small  island  in  the  eastern  parts,  the  Indians  being  there, 
they  waylaid  them  and  killed  several  of  them.  Our  English  fought 
bravely  and  drove  them  off  the  island.'  ^ 

September  22d.  The  town  chose  '  major  Daniel  Davison,  corpo- 
ral George  March  and  ensign  James  Noyes,  as  a  committee,  who 
shall  inspect  into  all  matters  concerning  the  lime  stones  in  any  of 
the  undivided  lands  in  the  town,  who  shall  have  the  sole  ordering, 
disposing  and  importing  said  lime  stones  for  the  town's  use  in  what 
way  and  manner  they  shall  judg  shall  most  conduce  to  the  benefit  of 
the  towne,'  and  so  forth,  and  so  forth.  The  committee  were  to  keep 
accurate  accounts  of  all  disbursements  and  profits,  which  were  to  be 
read  once  every  six  months  in  a  public  town  meeting.  All  persons 
were  prohibited,  under  a  penalty  of  twenty  shillings  the  hogshead 
and  proportionable  for  smaller  quantities,  who  should  presume  to 

*  Fairfield's  journal. 


166  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

dig  or  cany  away  or  dispose  of  any  of  the  aforesaid  limestone,  and 
so  forth. 

'  It  was  also  voted  that  the  kiln  for  burning  said  lime  shall  be 
built  at  or  near  the  end  of  Muzzie's  lane  next  Merrimack  river.'  ^ 

'  The  kiln '  mentioned  above  was  the  kiln  in  which  the  lime  was 
burnt  by  the  committee  for  the  benefit  of  the  town.  Lime  kilns 
owned  by  individuals  in  various  parts  of  the  town  were  numerous. 

*  August.  Ordered  by  the  selectmen  that  the  river  called  by  the 
Indians  Quasacuncon  and  has  since  been  called  by  divers  names, 
as  Newbury  river,  Oldtown  river,  be  from  this  time  called  by  the 
name  of  the  river  Parker  in  remembrance  of  the  worthy,  learned, 
and  reverend  minister  Mr.  Thomas  Parker,  who  was  a  first  planter 
and  pastor  of  ye  church  of  Newbury  and  learned  schoolmaster.'  ^ 

November  8th.  The  town  voted  that  the  assessors  '  raise  the  tax 
on  polls  one  penny  on  the  poll  for  every  penny  that  they  raise  upon 
ye  pound.'  ^ 

'  Also  voted  that  the  selectmen  procure  a  flagg  for  the  meeting 
house  to  be  put  out  at  the  ringing  of  the  first  bell,  and  taken  in  when 
the  last  bell  is  rung.'  ^ 

4  As  I  lay  in  my  bed  this  morning,'  says  judge  Sewall,  'this  verse 
ran  in  my  mind  : 

' To  horses,  swine,  neat  cattle,  sheep  and  deer, 
Ninety  and  seven  proved  a  mortal  year.' 


1698. 

May  4:th.  l  The  towne  voted  that  Mr.  George  March  should  be 
paid  for  fencing  in  the  burying  place.' 

July  5th.  '  The  towne  voted  that  they  would  build  a  new  meeting 
house,  and  for  that  purpose  chose  the  worshipful  colonel  Daniel 
Pierce,  captain  Thomas  Noyes  and  serjeant  Stephen  Jaques  a  com- 
mittee, who  on  October  fifth  made  their  report.' 

December  2\st.  i  The  towne  voted  that  serjeant  Stephen  Jaques 
should  build  a  meeting  house  sixty  feet  in  length  fifty  feet  in  breadth 
and  twenty  feet  in  the  stud  for  five  hundred  and  thirty  pounds.' 
The  next  February,  c  the  town  voted  to  have  the  meeting  house 
twenty-four  feet  post  instead  of  twenty  and  to  pay  serjeant  Jaques 
twenty  pounds  more.' 

October  26th.  A  church  was  gathered  in  the  west  precinct,  and 
on  November  tenth  the  reverend  Samuel  Belcher  was  ordained 
their  minister. 

November.  '  Near  the  close  of  this  month,'  says  Fairfield,  in  his 
diary,  '  there  was  a  general  contribution  in  the  province  for  the 
relief  of  captives  in  Mequinez  in  Morocco.'  In  a  letter  to  colonel 
Thomas  Noyes  on  this  subject,  honorable  Andrew  Belcher  thus 
writes.  *  On  the  sixth  of  December  1698  you  paid  me  three  pounds 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  167 

eight  shillings  and  ten  pence,  it  being  the  collection  of  some  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Newbury,  towards  the  relief  of  the  captives  in  Sallee.'  # 

'  This  year,  Ezra  Cottle  commenced  ship-building,  at  or  near  the 
foot  of  Chandler's  lane  [Federal  street]  where  Mr.  William  John- 
son built.'  f 

The  town  made  some  new  regulations  about  the  lime  stones,  and 
'voted  that  four  shillings  per  ton  shall  be  paid  for  lime  stones, 
transportation,  and  that  no  more  be  sold  out  of  the  towne  till  further 
order.'  f 

1699- 

1  The  town/  on  certain  conditions,  '  granted  to  Ebenezer  Knowl- 
ton  nine  rods  of  land  for  the  setting  up  a  tanning  trade.'  f 

December  18th.  '  Colonel  Daniel  Pierce  and  colonel  Thomas 
Noyes  were  impowered  to  employ  ye  honorable  captain  Samuel 
Sewall  to  procure  a  good  and  sufficient  meeting  house  bell  for  the 
towne  of  Newbury,  suitable  for  our  towne  considering  the  remote- 
ness of  our  dwellings.'  f 

1700. 

4  This  year,'  says  the  reverend  Richard  Brown,  in  his  diary,  *  has 
been  famous  for  three  things,  namely : 

'  First,  for  yt  the  winter  w^as  turned  into  summer,  or  at  least  we 
have  had  little  or  none,  the  ground  being  bare  for  the  most  part, 
though  we  have  had  snow  at  some  times,  yet  very  shallow,  not 
exceeding  above  twelve  inches  and  that  by  an  advance  of  southerly 
gales  faded  away  speedily. 

'  Second,  an  earthquake  on  the  last  of  January,  which  was  con- 
siderably great. 

'  Third,  another  on  the  last  of  February  passingly  considerable.' 

April  22d.  '  Serjeant  Stephen  Jaques  was  ordered  to  hang  the 
old  meeting  house  bell  in  the  new  turret' 

September  18th.  l  The  town  voted  to  have  the  new  meeting 
house  composed  with  seats  as  the  old  one  was,  except  ten  feet  on 
three  sides  for  pews  and  alleys.' 

October  ISth.  l  Voted  that  a  pew  be  built  for  the  minister's  wife 
by  the  pulpit  stairs,  that  colonel  Daniel  Pierce  should  have  the  first 
choice  for  a  pew  and  major  Thomas  Noyes  shall  have  the  next 
choice  and  that  colonel  Daniel  Pierce  esquire,  and  Tristram  Coffin 
esquire  be  impowered  to  procure  a  bell  of  about  four  hundred 
pounds  weight.'  f 

This  year  a  house  was  built  for  the  poor  to  li ve  in. 

November  6th.  Permission  was  granted  to  twenty  persons  '  to 
build  pews  on  the  lower  floor  for  themselves  and  families.' 

In  November  of  this  year,  Hester  Rogers,  of  Newbury,  was 

*  Robert  Adams's  manuscripts.  |  Town  records. 


168  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

arrested  on  suspicion  of  murdering  her  child.     The  following  is  a 
literal  copy  of  the  constable's  bill. 

'  John  Pike,  constable  for  ye  town  of  Newbury.' 

1  His  bill  of  cost  for  seaseing  and  securing  the  body  of  Hester  Rogers  of  said 
Newbury  apprehended  by  one  of  his  majestie's  justices  for  murdering  her 
children  in  ye  year  1700. 

Item,  for  procuring  of  a  warrant  for  seasing  her  body        .         .         .        £0?  Is. 
Item;  by  guarding  of  ye  body  of  the  said  Rogers  night  and  day  with  two 
men  from  ye  thirteenth  of  November  1700  until  ye  ninth  day  of 

December  1700          .  6,  10 

Item,  by  setting  said  guard  dayly  with  new  men  at  sixpence  per  time   0,  13 
Item,  by  conveying  of  her  body  to  Ipswich  gaol        ....  0,    8 

Item,  for  fier  wood  and  attendance  during  said  term  of  time,        .         .       1,  12 
Item  and  also  for  fier  wood  and  trobaling  ye  house,  .         .         .  1,  00 

£10,  045 
JOHN  PIKE,  constable  as  abovesaid.; 

December  6th.  The  committee  appointed  to  <  seat  the  meeting 
house,'  performed  their  task.  The  number  of  men  and  women  to 
whom  seats  were  assigned,  were  three  hundred  and  thirteen,  whose 
names  are  all  recorded. 

From  a  testimony  on  file  in  the  quarterly  court,  it  appears,  that, 
so  late  as  this  year,  only  two  houses  had  been  erected  on  the  banks 
of  the  Merrimac,  in  Newbury.  One  of  these,  owned  by  doctor 
Humphrey  Bradstreet,  stood  near  the  head  of  Hale's  wharf,  the 
other,  owned  by  Daniel  Pierce,  was  farther  south. 


1701. 

March  18th.  The  canopy  of  the  old  pulpit  was  given  by  the 
town  *  to  the  west  part  of  Newbury  for  their  pulpit.'  ^ 

In  Judge  Sewall's  diary  I  find  the  following,  by  which  it  appears 
that  Hester  Rogers  had  her  trial  at  Boston. 

'  July  15th.  Esther  Rogers  was  tried  and  condemned  for  murder. 
Mr.  Cook  pronounced  the  sentence.' 

From  Fairfield's  journal  I  make  the  following  extract: 

'July  thirty-first,  a  young  woman,  named  Esther  Rogers  was  executed  at 
Ipswich  for  murdering  her  child  (a  mulatto)  of  whom  it  may  be  noted,  she  was 
a  poor  sinful  creature,  as  vile  as  ordinarily  any  are  under  the  light  of  the 
gospel,  and  one,  who  had  a  child  by  a  negro  at  Newbury,  when  she  was  about 
seventeen  years  of  age,  as  she  herself  confessed,  and  that  she  murdered  it  and 
buried  it  in  the  garden,  and  four  years  after  had  a  child  again  and  murdered 
that,  but  could  not  conceal  it.  Of  her  carriage  in  prison  and  at  the  execution 
there  is  an  account  printed  with  three  sermons  in  Ipswich  on  occasion  thereof.' 

Tradition  informs  us  that  Esther  Rogers  drowned  her  child  in  the 
pond  behind  the  first  parish  meeting-house. 

In  October,  Thomas  Mossum,  a  colored  man,  was  ordered  to 
leave  town  with  his  family. 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  169 

*  October  ~L5th.  Voted  to  give  Mr.  Richard  Brown  and  Mr.  Moses 
Hale  twelve  shillings  per  sermon  for  every  sermon  that  they  preached 
to  us  during  Mr.  Toppan's  sickness.'  * 

December  9th.  The  town  voted  to  abate  one  half  the  minister's 
rate  of  sixteen  persons  at '  the  falls,'  for  the  coming  year.  # 


1702. 

January  13th.  The  town  voted  to  divide  according  to  '  former  rule 
eighteen  hundred  acres  of  the  lower  commons,  reserving  pasturage 
for  four  cows  for  the  ministry  in  the  east  end  of  the  towne,  three  for 
the  ministry  in  the  west  end,  three  for  the  free  school  and  the  herb- 
age of  twenty  cows  for  the  benefit  of  the  town's  poor.'  * 

July  22d.  Town  voted  to  give  Mr.  Richard  Brown  twenty 
pounds  for  his  yearly  salary,  and  to  have  fourpence  a  week  for  his 
Latin  scholars. 

Town  also  chose  i  the  selectmen  a  committee  to  consider  and  re- 
port what  it  will  cost  to  remove  the  old  meeting  house  farther  from 
the  new  meeting  house  and  to  fitt  it  up  for  a  court  house,  towne 
house  and  school  house.'  ^ 

Sometime  this  year,  the  people  residing  within  the  limits  of  what 
was  afterward  incorporated  as  By  field  parish,  built  a  meeting-house 
near  the  place  where  the  present  house  now  stands.  As  the  parish 
comprehended  a  part  of  Newbury,  and  a  part  of  Rowley,  it  was  at 
first  called  '  Rowlbury.'  Mehetabel,  wife  of  William  IVIoody,  and 
daughter  of  Henry  Sewall.  who  died  August  second,  1702,  aged 
thirty,  was  the  first  person  interred  in  the  burying  ground  there. 


1703. 

March  9th.  '  The  town  voted  to  pay  four  pounds  to  those  who 
killed  two  wolves  at  the  Ipswich  end  of  Plum  island.'  * 

The  town  also  '  voted  to  let  the  ferry  over  the  river  Parker  for  four 
years  at  four  pounds  a  year  to  corporal  Richard  Jackman,  who  is  to 
carry  all  the  court  officers,  going  and  returning  from  court,  all  town 
officers,  when  employed  by  the  town,  and  all  the  rams,  belonging  to 
the  town,  ferry  free.'  * 

March  17th.  Town  voted  that  the  old  meeting-house  be  repaired 
and  fitted  for  a  court  house,  *  school  house  and  town  house.'  * 

'  Thirty  rods  of  land  were  granted  to  Richard  Goodwin  on  the 
southerly  side  of  the  great  hill,  said  Goodwin  engaging  himself  and 
heyrs,  never  to  keep  a  dogg,  whilst  he  or  they  shall  dwell  on  said 
land.'* 

This  year  '  Benaiah  Titcomb's  vessel  was  captured  on  his  voyage 
from  Antigua  to  Newbury.' 

September  28th.     There  was  a  great  snow  storm. 

*  Town  records. 

22 


170  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

In  November,  captain  John  March  petitioned  the  general  court  to 
grant  him  some  compensation  for  the  losses  he  sustained  in  his  de- 
fence of  Casco  fort.  He  says,  l  I  forsook  my  own  habitation  at 
Newbury  and  removed  my  family,  stock  of  cattle  and  so  forth  to 
the  said  fort,  upon  which  upon  the  perfidious  breach  made  by  that 
barbarous  people,  your  petitioner  was  in  utmost  hazard  of  losing 
his  life,  and  by  a  wonderful  preservation  escaped  the  hands  of  those 
infidels,  and  did  actually  lose  more  than  five  hundred  pounds  of  his 
estate.'  Among  his  losses,  he  mentions  'sloop  and  furniture, 
eighty-nine  head  of  sheep  and  cattle,  five  and  a  half  acres  of  wheat, 
six  acres  of  as  good  peas  as  ever  I  saw,  four  and  a  half  acres  of 
Indian  corn,'  and  so  forth. 

'•November  20th.  The  general  court  granted  to  captain  John  March 
fifty  pounds  in  consideration  of  the  brave  defence  of  his  majesty's 
fort  at  Casco  bay,  when  lately  attacked  by  the  French  and  Indian 
enemy,  and  of  the  wounds  he  then  received.'  %• 


1704. 

January  5th.  '  The  town  voted  that  two  shillings  and  sixpence 
per  ton  shall  be  paid  for  lime  stone,  provided  that  they  that»buy  them, 
dig  them,  and  burn  them  in  Newbury.'  f 

** January  \$th.  The  town  chose  a  committee  to  measure  and  di- 
vide the  bank  against  Merrimack  river,  and  voted  that  two  men  be 
hired  to  watch  and  ward  upon  the  river  until  it  breaks  up.'  f 

February  24:th.  '  This  day  the  new  parishioners  met  in  the  house, 
built  for  their  minister  and  agree  to  call  the  precinct  Byfield.'  J 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  letter  from  Judge  Sewall  to  his 
brother,  William  Moody  of  Newbury. 

'Boston,  April  1st,  1704. 

(  Loving  brother, 

'  After  your  being  here  last  I  writt  a  letter  to  colonel  Byfield  and  in- 
formed him  that  you  had  named  your  infant  parish  Byfield,  and  would  from 
henceforth  look  upon  him  as  your  patron,  and  be  ready  gratefully  to  acknowledge 
any  countenance  or  favour  he  should  be  pteased  to  afford  you.  To  this  effect 
in  more  words.  This  day  I  received  a  letter  from  colonel  Byfield,  in  which  are 
these  words  : 

1 1  am  surprised  at  the  account  you  give  me  of  the  name  of  a  new  town  upon 
the  river  Parker  near  Newbury.  How  they  hitt  upon  my  name  I  can  ?t  imagine. 
I  heartily  wish  them  prosperity  ;  and  if  any  respect  to  me  was  the  cause,  it  is 
an  obligation  upon  me  (when  God  shall  enable  me)  to  study  how  I  may  be  ser- 
viceable to  them.' 

1  I  called  it  only  a  parish.  What  if  Mr.  Hale  should  write  a  letter  to  colonel 
Byfield,  intimating  the  matter  of  fact,  that  it  was  in  regard  to  him.  You  have 
been  informed  of  his  parentage.  He  has  only  two  daughters,  Madam  Lyde  and 
Madam  Taylor.  I  believe  he  is  a  good  man,  and  a  fast  friend,  very  industrious 
and  thorow  in  promoting  what  he  undertakes.' 

SAMUEL  SEWALL. 

*  Province  records.  t  Town  records.  J  Judge  Sewall's  diary. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  171 

March  28th.  The  court  again  confirmed  the  ferry  to  colonel  John 
March,  which  was  granted  him  in  1687. 

August  3d.  Colonel  N.  Saltonstall  thus  writes  to  colonel  Thomas 
Noyes  : 

'  Sir,  by  his  excellency's  express  direction  I  command  you  in  her 
majesty's  name  forthwith  to  appoint  and  set  forth  one  half  of  your 
company  by  name  and  have  them  ready,  well  fixt  with  arms  and 
ammunition  and  ten  days'  provision  to  march  at  an  hour's  \varning. 
The  command  is  strict.' 

September  28th.  He  thus  writes :  <  I  desire  and  order  that  by 
tomorrow  morning  at  farthest  you  press  and  post  at  your  block 
houses  in  Newbury  twelve  able  souldiers,  three  at  each  of  your  four 
[block]  houses,  to  abide  there  night  and  day,  to  watch/ 

The  expense  this  year  for  these  block-houses  was  one  hundred 
and  six  pounds,  ten  shillings,  and  seven  pence. 

November  llth.  '  Henry  Lunt,  Thomas  Newman,  and  Richard 
Dole,'  captains  of  freighting  sloops  from  Newbury,  complained  to 
the  general  court  of  the  conduct  of  captain  Tuthill,  of  the  castle, 
who  '  brought  all  their  vessels  to  an  anchor,  took  them  out,  carried 
them  to  the  castle,  demanded  money  for  a  shot,  which  he  said  was 
fired  at  them,  made  them  pay  six  shillings  and  eight  pence  apiece, 
one  shilling  apiece  for  pass  money,  and  three  shillings  apiece  to 
carry  them  back  to  their  vessels  again.'  ^ 

In  1702,  'walnut  wood  was  five  shillings  per  cord,  oak  three 
shillings,'  cotton  wool  one  shilling  and  ten  pence  per  pound,  corn 
two  shillings  per  bushel.  In  this  year,  1704,  cider  was  six  shillings 
per  barrel.  In  1703,  turnips  were  one  shilling  and  three  pence  per 
bushel,  and  1708,  one  and  eight  pence,  and  in  1711  sturgeon  was 
two  pence  per  pound.f 

1705. 

February  6th.  The  town  '  voted  to  apportion  the  flatts  among 
the  proprietors '  by  lot,  and  on  February  thirteenth,  '  that  they  should 
begin  next  Mr.  Pierce's  meadow  and  that  there  should  be  a  w^ay 
above  said  lots*  two  rods  broad.'  J  By  this  it  appears  that '  Water 
street'  was  not  laid  out  till  this  year. 

The  number  of  the  river  lots  was  two  hundred  and  twenty-four. 

February  20th.  Governor  Dudley  thus  writes  to  colonel  Salton- 
stall :  '  I  pray  you  to  give  direction  that  your  snow-shoe  men  from 
Newbury  to  Andover  be  ready  at  a  moment's  warning  till  the 
weather  breaks  up,  and  then  we  may  be  quiet  awhile.' 

May  23d.  The  '  old  meeting  house  was  granted  to  Richard 
Brown  with  liberty  to  remove  it.'  J 

July  llth.  The  'ferry  over  Merrimack  river  between  Newbury 
and  Salisbury  near  captain  Edward  Sargent's,'  was  purchased  by 
the  town,  of  colonel  John  March,  for  two  hunolred  and  forty  pounds, 

*  Province  Records.  t  Old  account  books.  J  Town  records. 


172  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

and  on  March  fifth,  1706,  '  they  sold  one  half  of  it  to  Salisbury  for 
one  hundred  and  twenty  pounds.' 

June  27th.  Governor  Dudley  orders  colonel  Saltonstall  '  to  de- 
tach twenty  able  soldiers  of  the  Newbury  militia  and  have  them 
rendezvous  at  Haverhill  on  July  fifth.' 

On  the  appearance  of  these  men  at  Haverhill,  colonel  N.  Salton- 
stall thus  writes  to  colonel  Noyes  : 

'HaverhilL  My  17th,  1705. 

c  I  received  your  return  of  ye  twenty  men  ye  Governor  commanded  me  to 
call  for,  and  when  ye  persons  (which  I  can  ;t  call  men)  appeared,  even  a  con- 
siderable number  of  them,  to  be  but  boys,  or  children,  and  not  fit  for  service, 
blind  in  part,  and  deaf,  and  cross-handed,  I  stopt  till  I  waited  on  ye  governor, 
ye  twelfth  instant  and  upon  libertie  to  speak  with  him,  I  with  ye  major  have 
taken  the  best  care  we  can  to  keep  the  men  and  children  sent  hither  for  ye 
present,  till  I  may  have  opportunity  to  tell  you  the  cmeen  likes  it  not,  to  be 
served  in  this  manner. 

1  But  one  in  special,  Nicholas  'K^*****  by  name,  is  blind,  and  deaf,  and 
small,  and  not  fit  to  be  continued,  and  therefore  to  be  short,  I  send  Nicholas 
*^***^*  home  to  you,  and  do  expect  that  you  will  send  some  able  man  in  his 
place,  if  you  have  an  able  one  in  Newbury. 

1  The  other  diminutives  are  sent  out  to  garrison  at  present,  or  else  you  had 
mett  with  them  to  return  to  you  for  ye  like  exchange. 

'  My  heart,  if  it  speaks,  is  full,  fwait  a  suitable  time,  to  tell  you  what  I  have 
to  say  on  her  majesty's  behalf.  To  take  boyes  for  originally  prest  men,  and 
they  hired  too,  I  know  not  ye  regularity  of  it.  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  you,  and 
intend  to  do  it  at  Haverhill  or  Newbury  or  a  middle  place,  as  you  will  desire, 
if  I  am  able  to  attend,  to  see  what  is  right  and  what  is  our  duty  for  us  to  do. 

Your  very  humble  servant, 

To  lieutenant-colonel  Thomas  Noyes.'  NATHANIEL  SALTONSTALL. 

In  another  letter  he  thus  writes  : 

1  August  ^  1705. 

1  One  Smith  came  this  day  with  two  of  his  sons  in  order  to  get  a  release  ibr 
John  Danford.  I  wonder  how  you  concern  yourself  so  much  about  this  man, 
to  get  Danford  home,  and  disregard  your  default  and  have  not  yet  sent  a  good 
man  for  that  pitiful  insufficient  sick  man  Nicholas  ^fr******  whom  I  sent  off 
ye  sixteenth  of  July  last  to  you  to  send  a  better  hand,  and  he  to  returne  in  two 
days  time  to  me,  but  he  is  not  yet  come,  nor  other  for  him.  Pray  consider  what 
lyes  at  your  doore  and  do  not  deale  so  unhandsomely  with  your  patient  friend 
and  humble  servant, 

N.  SALTONSTALL. 

To  lieutenant-colonel  Thomas  Noyes.' 


1706. 

January  kth.  c  Voted  that  the  new  bell  be  hanged  in  the  turret  of 
the  meeting  house  with  all  convenient  speede.  Also  to  take  care 
that  the  bell  be  rung  at  nine  of  the  clock  every  night  and  that  the 
day  of  the  month  be  every  night  tolled.'  ^ 

The  inscription  round  the  bell  is:  'let  us  love  as  brethren. 
Matthew  Bagley  fundit,  1705.' 

<  The  town  granted  to  twelve  persons  a  piece  of  ground  between 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  "173 

the  watch-house  and  the  meeting  house  pond  joyning  to  doctor 
Toppan's  fence  to  set  up  a  stable.'  # 

March.  l  Many  sheep  were  drowned  this  month  in  Newbury, 
by  the  overflowing  of  Merrimack  river,  the  ice  being  jam'd.'  f 

*  October  21st.  '  The  Newbury  part  of  Byfield  was  set  off  for  so 
long  a  time  as  they  shall  maintain  an  orthodox  minister  amongst 
them.'  * 

October  23d.     Henry  Short,  the  town  clerk,  died. 

October  30th.  Mr.  Richard  Brown  was  chosen  to  supply  his 
place.  At  the  same  meeting,  the  town  voted  to  employ  '  serjeant 
Joseph  Pike  to  build  a  bridge  over  Indian  river  near  his  saw-mill.'  * 

November  17th.  Reverend  Moses  Hale  was  ordained  the  minis- 
ter of  the  *  falls '  parish,  but  had  preached  for  them  about  four  years.J 

February  2Sth.  '  The  town  chose  a  committee  of  three  to  pro- 
ceed and  build  a  meeting  house  at  Pipe-stave  hill.'  #  For  a  more 
full  account,  see  under  the  year  1712. 

1707- 

January  29th.  The  '  town  voted  that  there  be  a  gaole  or  prison 
built  in  Newbury,  for  the  ease  of  the  subject,  for  the  restraining  of 
much  vice  and  keeping  up  of  the  order  of  government,  provided 
the  county  be  at  one  hah0  of  the  cost  and  charge.'  #  * 

1708. 

May  26th.  The  general  court  <  ordered  that  colonel  Thomas 
Noyes  [of  Newbury]  shall  for  the  present  ease  of  her  majesty's 
subjects,  whose  situation  makes  it  disputable  to  which  of  the  prov- 
inces they  belong,  notify  the  gentlemen  appointed  by  Massachusetts 
and  New  Hampshire,  to  meet  at  such  time  and  place  as  he  shall 
appoint,'  in  order  to  run  the  line  '  that  they  may  not  be  oppressed  by 
a  demand  upon  them  by  both  governments.' 

June  18th.  The  town  'voted  that  the  nine  a  clock  bell  should  be 
rung  at  nine  of  the  clock  precisely,  nightly  for  the  year  ensuing.'  ^ 

July  6th.  The  town's  commons  i  were  divided  into  four  general 
pastures.  The  first,  the  common  land  at  the  neck.  The  second, 
the  old  town  common  to  Mr.  Short's  farm.  The  third  to  extend 
near  to  the  dwelling  house  of  corporal  James  Smith  and  to  run  up 
by  the  brook,  whereon  the  new  bridge  is  to  Mr.  March's  farm  and 
by  the  southerly  side  of  said  farm  to  the  birchen  meadows  and  the 
rest  of  said  common  at  the  new  town  to  be  the  fourth.'  ^ 

'August.     There  was  a  great  drought.'  § 

This  year  Joseph  Lunt  rode  post. 

August  29th.  Joseph  Bartlet,  of  Newbury,  was  taken  captive  by 
the  French  and  Indians  in  their  attack  on  Haverhill,  and  carried  into 

*  Town  records.  t  Sewall's  diary. 

J  Parish  records.  §  Fail-field's  journal. 


174  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

Canada,  where  he  remained  over  four  years.     See  his  narrative, 
appendix  G. 

Liberty  to  build  a  saw  mill  was  ganted  to  Edmund  Goodridge 
and  John  Noyes,  junior,  for  twenty-one  years  on  '  cart  creek.' 


1709. 

March  8th.  The  town  <  voted  that  the  selectmen  shall  take  care 
that  the  burying  place  may  be  fenced.'  ^ 

March  15th.  <  Voted  that  the  selectmen  be  impowered  to  dispose 
of  the  lime  stones.'  ^ 

'  Voted  also  to  petition  the  court  of  sessions  for  liberty  to  hang 
gates  across  the  country  high  ways  in  Newbury  where  shall  be 
thought  needful.'  %• 

March  22d.  <  Voted  that  there  should  be  gates  hung  across  the 
town  high  ways,  where  it  shall  be  thought  most  convenient  for  the 
fencing  off  the  pastures,'  ^  that  is,  the  four  general  pastures. 

<  Great  drought  this  year.  In  October,  want  of  water  for  men 
and  cattle.'  f 

'  May.  An  expedition  was  formed  against  Canada.  On  the  tenth 
there  was  an  impress  for  soldiers.  Some  say  every  tenth  man  was 
taken.'  $ 

1710. 

March  7th.  A  committee  was  chosen  by  the  town  c  to  discourse 
with  Benjamin  Rolfe  about  purchasing  the  lane  called  Rolfe's  lane 
in  order  to  make  it  a  highway  for  the  town's  use.'  ^ 

In  June  of  this  year  there  was  an  extreme  drought. 

October  28th.  Byfield  parish  was  incorporated.  It  was  at  first 
called  Rowlbury,  being  formed  from  a  part  of  Newbury  and  a  part 
of  Rowley. 

1711- 

April  24th.  '  John  Kent  of  the  island  had  his  barn  burnt  by  ta- 
backo  with  six  oxen  and  four  calves  and  a  goose,  that  was  bringing 
young  ones.'  f 

July  30th.     Fleet  set  sail  for  Canada. 

*  Cottle's  lane,'  once  so  called,  now  South  street,  was  bought  and 
laid  out '  one  rod  and  a  half  wide  from  Ezra  Cottles  to  the  way  by 
Merrimack.' 

The  town  '  voted  that  the  grammar  school  be  removed  to  Green- 
leaf's  lane  or  near  thereabouts.'  Greenleaf's  lane  is  now  State 
street. 

'  John  Swett  was  licensed  by  the  court  to  keep  the  ferry  at  Holt's 

*  Town  records.  t  SewalPs  diary.  J  Fairfield's  journal. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  175 

rocks  September  twenty-fifth.  Fare  twopence  for  a  man  and  four 
pence  for  a  horse.' 

The  town  voted  that  Benjamin  Morse  should  '  ring  the  bell  at 
nine  o'  clock  every  night,  and  sabbath  days  and  lecture  days,  and 
said  Morse  is  to  winge  or  rub  down  the  principal  seats  the  day  after 
sweeping  the  meeting  house  —  and  to  toull  the  bell  till  the  minister 
comes.'  ^ 

October  9th.  Deacon  Nathaniel  Coffin  was  chosen  town  clerk, 
in  room  of  Mr.  Eichaid  Brown,  resigned.  On  leaving  town  for 
Reading,  where  he  was  ordained  as  minister,  June  twenty-fifth, 
1712,  he  left  the  following  on  the  fly  leaf  of  the  town  book. 

'  I  have  served  Newbury  as  schoolmaster  eleven  years  and  as  town  clerk  five 
years  and  a  half  and  have  been  repaid  with  abuse,  contempt  and  ingratitude. 
I  have  sent  nigh  as  many  to  college  as  all  the  masters  before  me  since  the  rev- 
erend and  learned  Parker.  Those  I  have  bred  think  themselves  better  than 
their  master  (God  make  them  better  still)  and  yet  they  may  remember  ye  foun- 
dation of  all  their  growing  greatness  was  laid  in  the  sweat  of  my  brows. 

1 1  pray  that  poor  unacknowledging  Newbury  may  get  them  that  may  serve 
them  better  and  find  thanks  when  they  have  done. 

:  If  to  find  a  house  for  ye  school  two  years  when  ye  town  had  none,  if  to  take 
the  scholars  to  my  own  fire  when  there  was  no  wood  at  school  as  frequently,  if 
to  give  records  to  the  poor,  and  record  their  births  and  deaths  gratis,  deserves 
acknowledgements,  then  it  is  my  due,  but  hard  to  come  by. 

Est  all  qua  ingrato  meritum  exprobare  voluptas 
Hoc  fruar,  haec  de  te  gaudia  sola  feram. 

R.  BROWN.' 
A  later  writer  adds  the  following  lines. 

{ The  lines  above  do  seem  to  me  absurd, 
Which  by  a  scholar  are  left  on  record 
Such  boasting  as  school  master  is  very  wrong, 
Such  boasting  don't  of  right  to  man  belong.' 

The  town  employed  Joshua  Moody  to  teach  the  grammar  school 
the  remainder  of  the  year,  and  voted  that -the  grammar  school  be 
removed  to  Greenleaf  ?s  lane,  [State  street.] 

Town  also  '  voted  that  the  selectmen  shall  forthwith  employ  sev- 
eral persons  to  take  care  ye  boys  be  kept  in  order  on  sabbath  days 
and  satisfie  said  persons  out  of  ye  money  of  ye  parish,  to  which 
they  belong  for  their  sarvice.' 


1712. 

March  llth.  The  town  '  voted  that  a  house  for  ye  keeping  ye 
grammar  school  in  shall  be  built  and  set  up  near  ye  middle  way 
between  ye  old  school  house  and  the  little  old  house  now  standing 
by  the  way  near  frog  pond.'  * 

In  the  beginning  of  this  year,  a  few  individuals  residing  near 

*  Town  records. 


176  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

what  is  called  '  the  plains,'  separated  from  the  church  and  society, 
with  which  they  had  been  hitherto  connected,  and  declared  them- 
selves in  favor  of  the  episcopal  form  of  worship.  As  the  causes, 
which  led  them  to  dissent  from  the  accustomed  order  of  the  New 
England  churches,  have  never  been  fully  explained,  '  the  narrative ' 
of  those  causes,  drawn  from  authentic  documents,  '  cannot,'  in  the 
language  of  the  reverend  doctor  Morss,  '  fail  of  being  interesting 
and  instructive.' 

As  early  as  March,  1685,  the  people  at  the  west  end  of  the  town, 
on  account  of  the  increase  of  their  numbers,  and  then*  distance  from 
the  '  meeting  house,'  petitioned  the  town  for  '  some  help  in  the  min- 
istry amongst '  them.  As  the  reply  to  this  petition  was  not  satisfac- 
tory, sixteen  persons  in  1689  erected  a  meeting-house  on  i  the 
plains.'  In  1695,  the  town  voted  that  Pipe-stave  hill  shall  be  the 
place  for  the  meeting-house,  and  so  forth.  From  this  time  till  1712, 
those,  who  lived  nearer  to  the  meeting-house  on  the  plains  than  they 
did  to  Pipe-stave  hill,  acted  in  opposition  to  the  votes  of  the  town, 
the  authority  of  the  state,  and  a  large  part,  (forty  to  twenty-four,)  of 
the  worshipers  in  their  own  precinct,  all  of  whom  had  decided  that 
the  right  place  for  the  meeting-house  was  Pipe-stave  hill, 'while  the 
other  party  were  as  decided  that  it  should  stand  where  it  was,  and 
not  be  moved.  As  early  as  1696,  the  reverend  Samuel  Belcher 
with  his  family  was  residing  in  the  precinct.^  In  the  same  year,  a 
vote  was  passed  to  build  a  ministry  house,  and  to  enlarge  the  meet- 
ing-house on  '  the  plains.'  In  January,  1706,  the  precinct  voted  that 
'  they  either  would  remove  the  meeting  house  and  build  an  addition 
to  it,  or  else  build  a  new  meeting  house.'  February  twenty-eighth, 
1  it  was  voted  that  ye  inhabitants  of  ye  west  end  of  the  town  of 
Newbury  will  build  a  new  meeting  house  upon  Pipe  stave  hill,  fif- 
ty-four feet  long  and  thirty-four  feet  broad  within  the  space  of  five 
years  at  ye  furthest  and  to  meet  in  the  old  meeting  house  five  years, 
not  to  force  any  person  to  pay  any  money  or  pay  till  three  years  be 
expired,  and  then  to  pay  one  quarter  part  yearly  until  ye  whole  be 
paid/ 

From  this  vote  twenty  persons  dissented. 

"'  Captain  Hugh  March,  Caleb  Moody  and  serjeant  John  Ordway 
were  also  chosen  a  committee  to  build  the  new  meeting  house  and 
enlarge  the  old  meeting  house.'  3k  In  February,  1709,  the  party  op- 
posed to  the  removal  of  the  meeting-house  from  '  the  plains,'  to  Pipe 
stave  hill,  petitioned  the  general  court  for  relief.  Among  other  things 
they  say,  that,  ( having  built  a  meeting  house  and  settled  a  minister, 
which  hath  not  been  effected  above  twelve  years  or  thereabouts,  there 
are  certain  of  our  inhabitants  since  planted  in  the  upper  parts  of  our 
precinct,  who  under  the  supposing  notion  of  a  major  vote  of  our 
inhabitants  have  adventured  against  our  declared  dissents  to  make  a 
considerable  and  chargeable  process  towards  the  building  of  another 
meeting  house,  wherein  they  have  proceeded  so  far  as  to  adventure 

*  Parish  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  177 

upon  ourselves  to  levy  a  tax  upon  that  account  and  to  employ  a 
collecter  to  take  away  our  goods,  and  so  forth.'  They  proceed*  to 
state,  that,  '  if  the  abovesaid  process  and  design  on  hand  proceed  to 
take  effect  according  to  the  desire  of  ye  managers  thereof,  namely, 
lo  fix  ye  meeting  house  and  ministry  solely  there,  ivhere  they  have 
now  erected  their  new  meetitig-  house,  it  will  not  only  as  we  apprehend 
very  unreasonably  necessitate  us  to  lose  ye  great  charge  we  have 
been  at,  but  which  is  worse,  frustrate  our  good  ends  therein,  which 
were  our  o\vn  and  our  children's  enjoyment  of  ye  means  of  grace, 
and  render  it  in  divers  respects  more  difficult  and  inconvenient  than 
before  our  separation,  and  so  forth.  We  therefore  pray  your  excel- 
lency and  honors  to  vouchsafe  to  us  a  favorable  regard  to  our  hum- 
ble address  that  our  so  very  hard  and  costly  privileges  may  be  con- 
tinued to  us  in  such  sort  as  may  not  be  suppressed  by  our  oppo- 
nents, and  so  forth.  And  we  humbly  pray  that  if  no  better  method 
may  be  found  out  for  our  relief  that  we  may  be  set  off  so  far  as 
may  agree  with  righteousness  and  religion,  to  maintain  our  minister 
and  ministry  amongst  ourselves,  the  charge  whereof  we  choose 
abundantly  to  undergo  rather  than  have  our  good  ends,  desires  and 
endeavours  abovesaid  frustrated  and  made  voyde.'  *  Signed  by 
fifty-five  persons — eleven  Bartlets,  six  Sawyers,  three  Merrills,  four 
Browns,  three  Baileys,  Charles  and  Joseph  Annis,  two  Thurstons, 
two  named  Rogers,  three  Littles,  and  nineteen  others. 

From  the  preceding  petition  we  learn  that  the  meeting-house  had 
been  erected  on  Pipe-stave  hill,  prior  to  the  date  of  the  petition, 
probably  in  the  latter  part  of  1708.  Judge  Sewall,  in  his  diary, 
under  the  date  of  May  tenth,  1709,  says,  '  visited  cousin  Jacob  Top- 
pan  and  laid  a  stone  in  the  foundation  of  ye  meeting  house  at  Pipe 
staff  hill.' 

On  March  twenty-first,  1710,  the  inhabitants  of  the  precinct  voted 
*  that  they  accepted  of  what  was  already  done  and  authorized  the 
major  part  of  the  committee  (who  were  chosen  in  1706,  February 
twenty-eighth,)  to  proceed  and  finish  the  meeting  house  according 
to  the  time  mentioned  in  said  vote.'  f 

From  this  vote  twenty-two  persons  dissented. 

Among  the  papers  on  file  in  the  state  house  in  Boston,  is  one 
written  by  John  Ordway,  but  without  date,  giving  his  reasons  why 
he  declined  acting  with  the  committee  appointed  in  1706  to  build 
the  new  meeting-house.  '  First,  because  the  vote  was  dissented 
against  by  many,  and  more  offered  their  dissent  and  therefore  a 
great  likelihood  of  contention  among  us.  Second,  because  we  had 
no  land  to  set  it  on,  nor  order  to  purchase  any.  Third,  because  it 
was  so  long  a  time  since  we  were  chosen,  and  I  wished  to  call  a 
meeting  of  our  precinct  to  see  if  they  were  united,  and  if  not,  I 
thought  it  very  unadvisable  to  proceed  in  strife  and  contention,  for 
the  building  of  a  meeting  house  ought  to  be  carried  on  in  love  and 
peace.  To  what  is  above  written  captain  March  and  lieutenant 

*  General  court  files.  t  Parish  records. 

23 


178  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

Moody  or  one  of  them  answered,  we  have  a  vote  for  it,  and  if  you 
will  not  goe  on  with  us,  we  will  goe  without  you  and  you  shall  pay 
for  it.' 

On  June  second,  1710,  a  notification  was  sent  from  the  general 
court  to  the  town  of  Newbury,  which  was  served  on  them  by  some 
of  the  west  end  petitioners  to  the  court.  On  June  seventh,  the  town 
chose  colonel  Thomas  Noyes  to  act  in  their  behalf,  who,  on  June 
ninth,  replied  to  the  petition  of  February  ninth,  1709.  In  his  reply 
he  states,  that,  '  of  the  fifty-five  signers  to  the  petition,  thirty-four 
were  at  no  charge  in  building  their  meeting  house,  several  live 
within  a  mile  of  Mr.  Toppan's  [first  parish  rneeting-house]  and  ten 
more  to  the  west  and  northwest  of  the  new  meeting  house,  so  that 
it  is  impossible  that  the  major  part  should  be  any  ways  aggrieved 
by  putting  down  the  old,  or  putting  up  the  new  meeting  house.' 
He  concludes  by  saying,  among  other  things,  that '  the  whole  of  the 
western  precinct  assemble  in  a  house  of  not  above  thirty  feet  square 
and  yet  rather  than  not  have  their  wills  they  would  have  two 
churches.' 

This  produced  a  long  reply,  dated  June  twentieth,  in  which  they 
state,  '  that  we  now  have  one  hundred  and  thirty  families,  seventy  of 
which  do  not  live  two  miles  from  the  old  meeting  house.' 

They  conclude  by  saying, c  we  must  acknowledge  ourselves  obliged 
to  him  in  the  superlative  degree  for  speaking  the  very  truth  concern- 
ing us  namely,  rather  than  not  have  our  wills,  which  are  not  the 
sparing  of  our  purses  but  ye  propagation  of  ye  gospel  and  ye  pro- 
moting ye  edification  of  ourselves  and  ours,  particularly  our  young 
ones  under  the  means  of  grace  and  ye  welfare  of  immortal  souls, 
we  had  rather  have  two  churches  and  meeting  houses  also,  most 
convenient  for  the  obtaining  those  good  ends.  We  only  pray  the 
general  court  to  prove  their  servants  awhile  with  their  petitioned 
pulse  and  water  and  afterwards  as  ye  shall  see  and  find  our  counte- 
nances, so  deal  with  your  humble  servants.' 

This  petition  was  not  granted,  and  on  the  twenty-second  of  June 
it  was  '  resolved  in  council  that  Pipe-stave  hill  is  the  most  conven- 
ient place,  and  so  forth,  and  that  a  committee  of  the  principal  inhab- 
itants in  the  said  precinct,  do  forthwith  attend  the  reverend  Mr. 
Belcher  and  acquaint  him  with  the  desire  of  this  court  that  when  a 
meeting  house  shall  be  erected  there  and  a  convenient  dwelling 
house  thereto  for  his  reception  with  suitable  accommodations  of 
land  and  so  forth  he  be  content  to  remove  thither.'  They  also 
resolved  that  '  a  tax  be  laid  on  all  the  inhabitants.'  % 

Determined,  as  it  would  appear,  not  to  worship  in  the  meeting- 
house on  Pipe  stave  hill,  twenty-seven  of  the  petitioners  signed  the 
following  document,  which  is  accurately  copied  from  the  original 
now  before  me. 

c July  ye  12th,  1710. 
'  We  whos  names  Are  hearto  Subscribed  doo  Agree  And  oblidge  oursealves  to 

*  General  court  files. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  179 

each  other  to  mayntain  the  publick  ministry  At  the  old  meeting  house  in  ye 
west  precinct  in  Newbury  Although  we  are  forsed  to  pay  Elswhare  what  shall 
be  lavid  upon  us.' 

On  the  next  day,  July  thirteenth,  the  inhabitants  of  the  west 
parish  held  a  meeting,  and  '  voted  to  observe  the  direction  and  re- 
solve of  the  general  court  June  twenty-second  in  every  particular.' 
On  July  seventeenth  they  had  another  meeting,  in  which  they l  voted 
to  levy  a  tax  of  four  hundred  pounds  to  defray  part  of  the  charges 
of  building  a  meeting  house  ministry  house  and  so  forth,  to  pay 
back  all  they  had  taken  by  distraint  and  to  confirm  all  that  the 
building  committee,  chosen  in  1706,  had  done  and  gave  them  full 
power  to  finish  and  so  forth.'  ^ 

On  the  nineteenth  of  April,  1711,  the  precinct  had  another  meet- 
ing, and  as  the  time  of  five  years,  during  which  they  had  deter- 
mined, in  February,  1706,  to  meet  in  the  old  meeting-house,  had 
expired,  the  majority  proceeded  to  carry  the  remainder  of  the  vote 
into  execution.  To  this  end,  they  chose  a  committee  of  three,  to 
dispose  of  the  ministry  house  and  land  near  the  old  meeting-house, 
and  obtain  a  house  and  land  near  the  new  meeting-house,  at  Pipe- 
stave  hill.  They  also  voted  '  to  take  the  seates  and  boards  and 
glass  out  of  ye  old  meeting  house  to  be  improved  in  the  new  meet- 
ing house  and  also  to  remove  the  old  meeting  house  and  sett  it  up 
att  Pipe-stave  hill  to  be  improved  for  a  barn  for  the  ministry  in  con- 
venient time.' 

It  will  readily  be  seen,  that,  as  soon  as  the  '  convenient  time '  came, 
to  carry  the  preceding  vote  into  effect,  the  minority  would  find  it 
impossible  to  c  mayntain  the  publick  ministry  at  the  old  meeting 
house,1  as  they  had  obligated  themselves  to  do,  July  twelfth,  1710. 
The  c  convenient  time '  soon  came,  but  not  in  the  manner  contem- 
plated by  the  vote.  Corroborated  tradition  informs  us>  that  a  party 
of  men  from  the  upper  part  of  the  parish,  came  down  in  a  riotous 
and  disorderly  manner,  in  the  night,  tore  down  the  '  old  meeting 
house,'  and  carried  it  off.  The  parish,  however,  March  fifth,  1712, 
on  account  of  the  '  difference  amongst  ye  inhabitants  about  pulling 
down  ye  old  meeting  house  agreed  to  leave  it  to  the  determination 
of  three  men  and  to  sit  down  satisfied  and  rest  contented  with  their 
determination/  * 

This,  without  doubt,  increased  the  opposition  of  the  minority, 
who,  being  as  determined  not  to  submit,  as  the  majority  were  to 
govern,  immediately  commenced  preparations  to  build  a  new  meet- 
ing-house. This  undertaking,  the  majority  determined  to  frustrate, 
if  possible.  A  committee  of  six  persons,  petitioned  the  general 
court,  in  July,  to  take  notice  of  the  matter,  and  state  that  '  Samuel 
Bartlet,  Joseph  Bailey,  lieutenant  Samuel  Sayer,  Josiah  Sayer,  John 
Bartlet  junior,  John  Bartlet  third,  Nathan  Bartlet,  Richard  Bartlet 
third,  William  Huse,  Joshua  Brown  junior,  Stephen  Brown  and 
Skipper  Lunt,  their  carpenter,  and  several  others  have  cut  and  hailed 

*  Parish  records. 


180  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

timber  in  order  to  build  a  meeting  house  and  intend  to  raise  said 
meeting  house  within  one  fortnight  and  set  it  at  or  near  the  east 
end  of  the  west  precinct  in  Newbury  as  they  inform  us,  not  regard- 
ing the  late  resolve  of  the  great  and  general  court,'  and  so  forth, 
and  so  forth. 

'  July  19^A,  1711.  The  court  advised  and  directed  for  the  preser- 
vation of  the  peace  of  the  town  of  Newbury  that  the  persons  herein 
named  and  others  concerned,  desist  their  proceeding  to  the  raysing 
their  meeting  house  until  there  be  a  hearing  of  the  matter  before 
the  court.' 

To  this  advice  and  direction  the  minority  paid  no  attention,  but 
went  steadily  on  with  their  work.  Fervet  opus.  This  caused  an- 
other petition  against  them,  in  which  a  committee  of  the  majority 
state,  August  twenty-fourth,  1711,  that  'they,  [the  minority,]  had 
raised  and  in  part  covered  a  meeting  house  and  set  it  near  the  divi- 
ding line,  notwithstanding  the  advice  and  direction  of  the  court.' 

The  court  immediately  ordered  that  '  Samuel  Bartlet,  John  Ord- 
way,  deacon  Joshua  Brown,  Joshua  Bailey,  Skipper  Lunt,  and 
Penuel  Titcomb  be  anew  served  by  the  sheriff  with  a  process  and 
order  of  this  court  of  nineteenth  July,  strictly  forbidding  them  and 
their  associates  proceeding  in  the  work  of  their  intended  meeting 
house  and  so  forth,  and  that  said  persons  be  summoned  to  attend 
this  court  on  the  second  Wednesday  of  their  fall  session.' 

On  the  twenty-third  of  October,  1711,  they  again  petition  the 
court,  'to  grant  them  leave  to  goe  on  with  their  meeting  house 
that  they  have  begun,  that  the  farthermost  of  forty  families  and 
about  thirty  more  of  our  neighbours  are  not  above  one  and  a  half 
miles  from  the  meeting  house  we  are  about  to  erect  and  prepare 
and  that  we  deem  it  our  duty  to  maintain  the  reverend  Mr.  Belcher, 
(for  ivhom  we  have  a  peculiar  respect,)  until  we  may  be  orderly 
dismist?  They  also  request  the  court  '•  to  set  them  off  as  a  precinct, 
making  Artichoke  river  the  dividing  line,  and  that  there  are  now 
ninety-six  families  above  Artichoke  river.' 

In  the  general  court  records,  under  date  of  November  second, 
1711,  is  the  following.  '  Upon  hearing  the  case  of  Newbury  referring 
to  the  house  late  pretended  to  be  raised  for  the  publick  worship  of 
God  on  or  near  deacon  Joshua  Brown's  land,  contrary  to  the  direc- 
tion of  this  court,  of  which  there  is  no  present  necessity.  It  is  or- 
dered that  the  building  of  the  said  house  be  not  on  any  pretence 
whatever  further  proceeded  in  but  that  the  division  of  the  town  into 
two  precincts  between  the  old  meeting  house  and  that  upon  Pipe- 
stave  hill  be  the  present  division  of  the  auditory  and  is  hereby 
confirmed  and  established  and  all  persons  concerned  are  to  yield 
obedience  accordingly,  and  that  the  disorders,  that  have  been  in  the 
proceedings  about  the  said  house  in  Brown's  land,  be  referred  to  the 
next  sessions  of  peace  in  Essex.' 

On  November  fourth,  1711,  another  petition  was  prepared  to  be 
presented  to  the  general  court,  signed  by  Abraham  Merrill,  Joshua 
Brown,  and  sixty-five  others.  In  it,  among  other  things,  they  pray 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  181 

the  court  'to  indulge  us  with  your  favorable  grant  of  liberty  to 
proceed  in  ye  finishing  of  our  meeting  house,  and  to  call  some 
orthodox  approved  person  to  preach  ye  word  of  God  to  us  there, 
whom  (notwithstanding  ye  usual  objections  framed  on  yt  account 
against  us)  we  trust  under  God's  blessing  we  shall  so  accommodate 
as  may  be  approved  by  your  honors  and  satisfactory  and  comfortable 
to  himself.  Thus  praying,'  and  so  forth. 

This  petition,  which  is  now  in  my  possession,  was,  of  course,  not 
presented,  probably  on  account  of  the  peremptory  order  of  the  court, 
passed  November  second,  two  days  before  their  petition  was  drafted, 
but  which  they  probably  had  not  seen.  Here  was  a  difficulty, 
which  the  petitioners  knew  not  how  to  obviate.  They  had  erected 
a  meeting-house,  in  which  they  had  intended  to  settle  '  some  ortho- 
dox approved  person,'  but  which  the  court  would  not  allow  them 
either  to  use  or  finish.  Up  to  this  time,  it  is  evident,  from  their  own 
petitions,  that  they  had  intended  to  settle  a  congregational  minister 
in  the  meeting-house,  which  they  had  erected  for  that  purpose.  The 
manner  in  which  a  part  of  them  became  episcopalians,  is  best  told 
in  the  following  extract  from  a  narrative  of  the  proceedings  of  the 
precinct,  from  its  commencement  to  1734.  It  was  found  among  the 
papers  of  Mr.  Nehemiah  Bartlet,  and  was  written  many  years  ago. 

1  Our  fathers  did  not  regard  what  the  court  sent  to  them,  but  had  raised  said 
building  and  had  got  on  to  finish  it.  This  honorable  court  sent  on  express  to 
forbid  us  going  on  under  any  pretence  whatever.  Resolved  Pipe-stave  hill  to 
be  the  place  for  the  whole  parish.  Our  people  went  to  this  court  to  show  their 
grievances.  No  relief.  Met  with  a  gentleman  Mr.  [John]  Bridger,  churchman, 
telling  a  way  to  protect  them,  to  come  under  the  church  of  England  he  would  protect 
them.  Some  being  acquainted  with  tJie  church  complied.  Reverend  Mr.  Harris 

came  and  preached,  went  home,  sent  Mr. Lampton,  chaplain  of  a  station 

ship,  some  abiding  with  him,  some  went  back  to  Pipe-stave  hill,'  and  so  forth. 

This  Mr.  Bridger  was  '  surveyor  of  the  king's  woods,'  as  I  learn 
from  several  letters  of  his,  between  1707  and  1715.  In  the  latter 
year,  he  was  in  London.  In  Judge  Sewall's  diary,  I  find  the 
following : 

1  December  15th,  1707.  Governor  calls  a  council,  reads  a  letter 
from  Mr.  [John]  Bridger,  complaining  of  trees  cut  contrary  to  char- 
ter. Mr.  Bridger  has  been  here  above  a  twelvemonth.' 

On  the  twenty-first  of  October,  1711,  Mr.  Bridger  thus  writes 
from  Portsmouth,  to  colonel  Thomas  Noyes,  of  Newbury : 

4  Sir,  pursuant  to  the  governor's  orders  I  do  apply  to  you  for  a 
guard  of  six  or  eight  troopers  for  my  guard  while  doing*  my  duty 
as  surveyor  of  his  majesty's  woods  for  America. 
I  am  your  most  humble  servant, 

JOHN  BRIDGER.' 

From  the  same  diary  of  Judge  Sewall,  I  make  the  following 
extract,  namely : 

1  Wednesday,  February  27f/t.  1711-12.  Joseph  Bailey  of  Newbury,  introduced 
by  Jlr.  Myles,  Mr.  Harris  and  Mr.  Bridger  presented  a  petition  to  the  governor 


182  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

signed  by  Abraham  Merrill,  Joshua  Brown,  Samuel  Bartlet,  John  Bartlet,  Sam- 
uel Sayer,  Joseph  Bailey,  twenty-two  in  all,  declaring  that  they  were  of  the 
pure  episcopal  church  of  England,  would  no  longer  persist  with  their  mistaken 
dissenting  brethren,  had  sent  to  their  diocesan,  the  bishop  of  London  for  a  minis- 
ter and  desired  protection. 

1  February  28th.    Governor  dates  his  letter  to  ye  episcopal  church  at  Newbury.' 

In  another  part  of  the  same  diary,  he  says,  '  on  the  twenty-sev- 
enth of  February  last  1711-12  I  saw  the  certainty  of  what  I  could 
not  believe  before  namely  deacon  Merrill  and  deacon  Brown  and 
twenty-two  others  and  so  forth.  Now  though  it  is  well  enough 
known  what  was  the  spring  of  yr  motion  and  notwithstanding  their 
aprons  of  figieaves  they  walk  naked.' 

Their  petition  to  governor  Dudley,  and  his  reply,  are  as  follows, 
namely : 

1  To  his  excellency  Joseph  Dudley,  the  humble  petition  of  several  freeholders 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Newbury. 

I  Whereas  your  excellency's  petitioners  have  declared  themselves  members 
of  the  church  of  England,  and  have  raised  a  building,  for  the  worship  of  almigh- 
ty God  according  to  the  manner  of  service  prescribed  in  the  said  church  we 
humbly  desire  your  excellency's  protection  and  encouragement  in  our  just  and 
laudable  undertakings.     We  are  convinced  that  the  church  of  England  is  a 
pure  orthodox  church,  and  so  are  resolved  to  continue  no  longer  in  that  separa- 
tion, which  has  so  unhappily  prevailed  among  the  mistaken  and  prejudiced 
inhabitants  of  this  country.     This  resolution  has  occasioned  ye  ill  will  of  our 
dissenting-  brethren,  who  levy  upon  us  more  than  ordinary  rates  towards  the 
maintenance  of  their  minister,  and  other  purposes  of  that  nature,  wrhich  act  of 
theirs  is  a  very  great  hardship  and  grievance  to  us,  since  we  have  addressed  a 
letter  to  our  right  reverend  diocesan  ye  bishop  of  London  to  send  us  a  minister, 
which  wre  shall  most  gladly  receive,  but  think  ourselves  under  no  obligation  to 
any  other  ;  it  being  a  thing  unknown  in  her  majesty's  dominions  yt  ye  members 
of  the  church  of  England  are  obliged  to  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  dissent- 
ing teachers.     We  therefore  pray  your  excellency's  favour,' that  we  may  not  be 
molested  for  the  future  upon  this  account  and  beg  leave  to  subscribe  ourselves 

Your  excellency's  most  dutiful  and  obedient  servants.' 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  reply  : 

'Boston,  February  28th,  1711-12. 

'  I  received  yesterday  an  address  and  petition,  signed  by  twenty-two  freehold- 
ers and  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Newbury,  setting  forth  that  they  are  de- 
clared members  of  the  episcopal  church  of  England,  as  by  law  established, 
and  that  they  have  raysed  a  building  for  the  service  of  God  according  to  the 
manner  of  service  prescribed  in  the  said  church,  desiring  protection  and  encour- 
agement therein  accordingly,  and  that  they  have  addressed  the  right  reverend 
the  bishop  of  London  to  have  a  minister  sent  to  them,  and  that  thereupon  they 
may  not  be  obliged  to  contribute  to  the  subsistence  of  the  other  ministers  of  any 
other  profession  as  at  large  is  set  forth  in  this  petition. 

I 1  am  also  informed  by  the  reverend  Mr.  Harris,  one  of  the  ministers  of  the 
church  of  England  in  this  place,  that  at  their  desire  he  has  visited  and  preached 
to  that  new  congregation,  and  had  a  very  considerable  auditory,   and  that  he 
shall  continue  so  to  do,  until  their  said  address  to  the  lord  bishop  of  London 
shall  be  considered  and  orders  given  therein.     I  am  thereupon  of  opinion  that 
the  said  petitioners  and  others  that  joyne  with  them  ought  to  be  peaceably  al- 
lowed in  their  lawful  proceedings  therein  for  their  good  establishment ;  and  ought 
not  to  be  taxed  or  imposed  upon  for  the  support  and  maintenance  of  any  other 
public  worship  in  the  said  town. — Of  which  I  desire  all  persons  concerned  to 
take  notice  accordingly.  Given  under  my  hand, 

J.  DUDLEY.' 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  183 

At  what  precise  time  their  letter  was  addressed  to  the  bishop  of 
London,  I  have  found  no  record.  It  must  have  been  between 
November  fourth,  1711,  and  February  twenty-eighth,  1712.  I  have 
in  my  possession  an  original  letter  from  the  bishop  of  London,  of 
which  the  following  is  a  copy. 

'Sir, 

1 1  am  very  glad  of  the  assurance  from  you.  how  well  your  people  are  dis- 
posed to  hold  communion  with  us ;  and  you  need  not  doubt  of  all  due  encour- 
agement so  far  as  the  difficulty  of  the  times  will  allow,  and  therefore  I  should 
be  glad  to  hear  what  it  is  particularly,  that  may  suffice  for  this  encouragement ; 
and  in  the  mean  time  I  shall  endeavour  to  gett  the  best  advice  I  can  in  refer- 
ence to  the  deed.  I  pray  God  prosper  your  pious  endeavours  and  pray  believe 
me  Sr  your  most  assured  friend 

and  humble  servant, 

Fulham,  April  19th,  1712.'  HENRY  LONDINI. 

As  the  superscription  of  this  letter  is  torn  off,  I  am  not  able  to 
say  to  whom  it  was  addressed. 

The  next  allusion  to  the  church  that  I  find,  is  the  following  ex- 
tract from  a  letter,  written  by  the  reverend  Benjamin  Colman,  of 
Boston,  to  bishop  Kennet.  It  is  dated  November  seventeenth,  1712. 

'  This  last  year  a  difference  happened  in  the  town  of  Newbury  about  placeing 
their  meeting  house.  The  matter  was  brought  before  our  general  court,  who 
determined  it  according  to  the  free  vote  and  act  of  the  precinct,  whereby  they 
had  obliged  themselves  to  each  other.  Whereupon  a  number  of  them  declare 
themselves  for  the  church  of  England.  Many  of  them  I  will  suppose  persons 
of  sobriety  and  virtue  only  in  a  pett  and  to  save  their  rate  to  their  aged  and 
worthy  minister,  Mr.  Belcher,  utterly  ignorant  of  the  church  they  declare  for, 
nor  offended  in  the  least  with  the  form  of  worship  or  discipline,  which  they 
turn  from  ;  and  as  wide  herein  from  their  old  pastor's  spirit  and  principles ;  which 
are  as  catholick  as  can  well  be  found  among  ministers  of  any  denomination;  being 
till  now  among  the  most  narrow  and  rigid  dissenters,  who  would  before  this  have 
disowned  me  in  particular  for  the  use  of  the  Lord's  prayer,  reading  the  scrip- 
tures and  a  freer  admission  to  the  Lord's  table,  than  has  been  generally  prac- 
tised in  these  churches.'  * 

The  lines  in  the  above  letter,  printed  in  italics,  are  entirely  omit- 
ted by  the  reverend  James  Morss  in  his  century  sermon,  delivered 
December  thirty-first,  1837,  the  words  '  difference,'  and  '  turn  from,' 
are  changed  to  '  difficulty,'  and  '  had  observed,'  and  the  words  '  they 
were,'  before  '  most  narrow,'  added. 

Since  the  compilation  of  the  foregoing  narrative,  the  following 
letter,  or  part  of  a  letter,  written  by  the  reverend  Matthias  Plant,  and 
published  in  the  Christian  Witness,  January  twenty-eighth,  1842, 
has  been  pointed  out  to  me.  The  date  is  not  given,  nor  the  name 
of  the  person,  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  It  was  obtained,  as  I  am 
informed,  by  the  reverend  doctor  Hawkes,  during  his  recent  visit  to 
England,  and  is  undoubtedly  accurate  in  its  statements. 

'NEWBURYPORT.  We  copy  the  following  from  the  Church  Record;  and,  as  it 
gives  some  interesting  incidents  in  the  early  history  of  the  ancient  church  in 
Newburyport,  we  presume  it  will  be  acceptable  to  our  readers  : 

*  Turell's  life  of  Colman,  pp.  124,  5. 


184  HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY. 

c  First,  the  history  of  building  the  church,  et  cetera.  It  was  erected  for  a 
meeting-house,  in  1711,  by  the  inhabitants,  about  forty-five  families  in  number, 
but  being  opposed  -by  a  greater  body  of  people  within  the  same  division  or  par- 
ish, who  had  erected  another  meeting-house,  they  complained  of  them  to  the 
j  ustices  of  the  peace,  who  committed  some  of  them  to  prison,  and  others  were 
compelled;  for  their  safety,  to  appeal  to  the  governor  and  council,  where  they 
met  with  no  better  treatment,  for  erecting  a  meeting-house  contrary  to  law  ;  (for, 
according  to  the  laws  of  the  province,  the  major  part  appoints  the  place  where 
the  meeting-house  shall  be  built.)  Mr.  Bridger,  of  Portsmouth,  in  New  England, 
having  information  of  the  severity  used  towards  these  people,  came  to  Newbury, 
and  told  the  inhabitants  that  if  they  would  convert  their  intended  meeting-house 
into  a  church,  he  would  engage  them  protection  from  the  governor.  They 
complying  with  his  motion,  (after  the  perusal  of  several  church  books,)  he  ob- 
tained their  easement.  The  salary  is  weekly  contributions  by  the  auditors  ; 
about  twenty  pounds  per  annum.  The  materials  with  which  the  church  is  built 
are  wood.  The  dimensions  of  it;  fifty  feet  long  and  thirty  wide,  but  accommo- 
dated with  no  house  or  glebe. 

c  Second,  the  number  of  hearers  was  about  one  hundred,  who  at  first  frequented 
the  church ;  (for  many  who  contributed  towards  building  the  church  never  con- 
sented to  convert  it  to  that  use.)  Their  condition  of  fortunes  is  like  unto  our 
ordinary  farmers,  who  rent  thirty  or  forty  pounds  per  annum.  They  commonly 
add  some  trade  to  their  farming.  In  matters  of  religion,  dissenters.  Their  set- 
tlements dispersed  after  the  manner  of  our  cottages,  upon  commons,  some  per- 
haps having  thirty  to  sixty  acres  of  land.  Some  of  my  hearers  live  in  the  adja- 
cent towns,  from  two  to  six  miles  distance.  Marblehead  is  the  nearest  church, 
thirty-two  miles  remote.  My  constant  auditors  are  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to 
two  hundred,  or  thereabouts,  and  daily  increase,  as  doth  my  salary.  Their  for- 
tunes are  no  otherwise  improved  than  by  their  lands  becoming  more  valuable, 
which  is  occasioned  by  people  becoming  more  numerous  in  the  country. 

MATTHIAS  PLANT.' 

At  what  time  the  reverend  Mr.  Lampton  came  to  Newbury,  I 
have  not  been  able  to  ascertain.  It  must,  however,  have  been  sub- 
sequent to  twenty-seventh  of  February,  1712,  as,  in  the  petition  to 
the  governor,  of  that  date,  we  find  the  expression,  '  send  us  a  min- 
ister, which  we  shall  most  gladly  receive.' 

From  a  letter  in  the  library  of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society, 
at  Worcester,  written  by  the  reverend  Christopher  Toppan,  to  Cot- 
ton Mather,  November  twenty-eighth,  1712,  I  make  the  following 
extract : 

1  Perceiving  that  some  of  the  ceremonies  were  camels  too  big  for  them  at  first 
to  swallow,  he  [Mr.  Lampton]  told  them  they  should  be  left  to  their  liberty  as 
to  kneeling  at  the  sacrament,  baptising  with  the  sign  of  the  cross  and  so  forth. 
This  has  been  wonderfully  taking  with  them  and  a  great" means  to  encourage 
them  in  their  factious  proceedings.7 

Notwithstanding  the  '  opinion,'  that  the  petitioners  of  February 
twenty-seventh  '  ought  not  to  be  taxed '  for  the  support  of  the  con- 
gregational ministers,  the  precinct  '  voted  fourteenth  of  April  that 
captain  Hugh  March  should  go  to  the  general  court  and  ask  advice 
of  them  about  gathering  Mr.  Belcher's  rate  and  the  meeting  house 
rate  of  those  persons  that  pretend  to  sett  up  ye  episcopal  way  of 
worship,'  and  on  October  seventh,  desired  captain  March  to  proceed 
in  '  that  affaire.' 

As  to  what  was  done  'in  that  affaire,'  no  record  informs  us. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  185 

March  5th.  The  west  parish  held  a  meeting,  on  account  «  of  the 
difference  among  the  inhabitants  about  pulling  down  the  old  meet- 
ing house,  selling  the  parsonage  house  and  land  and  so  forth,  and 
agreed  to  leave  the  above  mentioned  particulars  to  lieutenant  John 
White  of  Haverhill,  lieutenant  John  Foot  of  Amesbury  and  Mr. 
Thomas  Kimball  of  Bradford,  promising  to  set  down  satisfyed  and 
rest  contested  with  their  determination.'^ 


1713 


1  February  3d.  Deacon  Abraham  Merrill,  deacon  Joshua  Brown 
[and  six  others]  were  requested  by  a  committee  of  the  church  to 
give  their  reasons  for  absenting  themselves  from  the  communion  of 
the  church.'  Their  reasons  were : 

'  First,  we  do  count  that  you  acted  illegally  in  disposing  of  a 
house,  that  you  never  built. 

4  Second,  for  violently  pulling  down  our  meeting  house  and  car- 
rying it  away  contrary  to  our  minds  and  consent. 

'  third,  taking  away  from  our  brethren  and  neighbours  part  of 
their  estates  by  distress/  and  so  forth.f 


1714. 

January  15th.  The  west  parish  agreed  to  concur  with  the 
church  in  calling  the  reverend  John  Tufts  to  settle  with  them  in  the 
ministry. 

March  30th.  The  parish  i  voted  to  give  the  reverend  John  Tufts 
eighty  pounds  a  year  till  he  settles  and  keeps  house,  and  then  ninety 
pounds  a  year.' 

April  2d.  The  parish  <  voted  to  free  all  that  are,  or  shall  be,  for 
the  episcopal  way  of  worship  and  also  all  quakers.' 

April  5th.  The  town  i  voted  to  grant  liberty  to  Mr.  Benjamin 
Woodbridge  and  Mr.  Henry  Somerby  to  cut  timber  on  Plum  island 
to  finish  two  wharfs  with.' 

June.  The  ferry  at  Holt's  rocks,  was  settled  for  forty  years  on 
Newbury  and  Haverhill  by  the  court. 

June  3Qth.     Reverend  John  Tufts  ordained. 

In  judge  Sewall's  diary,  I  find  the  following,  which  is  all  I  have 
been  able  to  find  on  the  subject : 

'  December  25th.  Mrs.  Bradstreet  of  Newbury,  her  killing  her 
negro  woman  [is]  much  tallied  of.' 

In  this  year,  the  reverend  John  Tufts,  of  the  west  parish,  pub- 
lished a  small  work  on  music,  entitled,  'a  very  plain  and  easy 
introduction  to  the  art  of  singing  psalm  tunes,  with  the  cantus  or 
trebles  of  twenty-eight  psalm  tunes  Contrived  in  such  a  manner  as 

*  Parish  records.  t  Church  records. 

24 


186  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

that  the  learner  may  attain  the  skill  of  singing  them  with  the  greatest 
ease  and  speed  imaginable,  by  the  reverend  Mr.  John  Tufts.  (Price 
sixpence  or  five  shillings  per  dozen.' 

Small  as  this  book  must  have  been,  to  be  afforded  for  sixpence 
per  copy,  it  was  at  this  time  a  great  novelty,  it  being  the  first  publi- 
cation of  the  kind  in  New  England,  if  not  in  America.  As  late  as 
1700,  there  were  not  more  than  four  or  five  tunes  known,  in  many 
of  the  congregations  in  this  country,  and  in  some,  not  more  than 
two  or  three,  and  even  those  were  sung  altogether  by  rote.  These 
tunes  were  York,  Hackney,  Saint  Mary's,  Windsor,  and  Martyrs'. 
To  publish  at  this  time  a  book  on  music,  containing  the  enormous 
number  of  twenty-eight  psalm  tunes,  (which  were  in  three  parts, 
and  purely  choral,)  although  it  was  only  a  reprint  of  Ravenscroft, 
which  was  first  published  in  1618,  was  a  daring  innovation  on  the 
old  time-honored  customs  of  the  country,  and  the  attempt  to  teach 
singing  by  note,  thus  commenced  by  Mr.  Tufts,  was  most  strenu- 
ously resisted,  and  for  many  years,  by  that  large  class  of  persons, 
everywhere  to  be  found,  who  believe  that  an  old  error  is  better  than 
a  new  truth.  Many,  at  that  time,  imagined,  that  fa,  sol,  la,  was,  in 
reality,  nothing  but  popery  in  disguise.  A  writer  in  the  New  Eng-" 
land  Chronicle,  in  1723,  thus  observes.  'Truly  I  have  a  great 
jealousy  that  if  we  once  begin  to  sing  by  rule,  the  next  thing  will 
be  to  pray  by  rule  and  preach  by  rule  and  then  comes  popery.1 

In  1721,  reverend  Thomas  Walter,  of  Roxbury,  published  a  book 
on  music,  entitled  '  the  grounds  and  rules  of  musick  explained, 
or  an  introduction  to  the  singing  by  note  fitted  to  the  meanest 
capacity.' 

In  the  preface,  Mr.  W.  says:  'the  tunes  now  in  use  in  our 
churches,  when  they  came  out  of  the  hands  of  'the  composers  of 
them,  were  sung  according  to  the  rules  of  the  scale  of  musick,  but 
are  now  miserably  tortured  and  twisted,  and  quavered  in  some 
churches  into  a  horrid  medley  of  confused  and  disorderly  noises. 
Oar  tunes  are  for  want  of  a  standard  to  appeal  to  in  our  singing, 
left  to  the  mercy  of  every  unskilful  throat  to  chop  and  alter,  twist 
and  change,  according  to  their  infinitely  divers  and  no  less  odd 
humours  and  fancies.  No  two  churches  sing  alike.  At  present 
we  are  confined  to  eight  or  ten  tunes  and  in  some  congregations  to 
little  more  than  half  that  number.' 

September  1st.  Town  '  voted  to  give  forty  shillings  for  every 
grown  wolf  and  ten  shillings  apiece  for  wolf's  whelps  killed  within 
the  towne.' 


March  ll£/z.  A  highway,  of  two  rods  broad,  was  laid  out,  from 
Kent  street  to  Ordway's  lane,  now  Market  street. 

March  \kth.  John  Emery,  Archelaus  Woodman^  Stephen 
Emery,  and  Benjamin  Sawyer,  petitioned  the  town  to  grant  them 
'  liberty  to  set  up  a  fence  across  the  way  to  Turkey  hill  that  we  may 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  187 

keep  our  sheep  from  running  away  before  we  have  sheared  them.' 
The  petition  was  granted. 

May  3d.  '  Town  voted  to  give  five  pounds  per  head  for  every 
grown  wolfe,  which  shall  be  killed  within  the  town  of  Newbury.' 

May  20th.  Mr.  John  Bridger  sent  a  letter  'to  the  churchwardens 
and  vestry  at  Newbury,'  from  London,  by  Mr.  Henry  Lucas,  who 
had  been  appointed  their  minister,  and  says  :  '  I  have  no  reason  to 
doubt  he  will  fully  answer  your  expectation  and  advance  the  church 
amongst  you  to  the  praise  and  glory  of  almighty  God  and  to  the 
edification  of  many  souls,'  and  so  forth. 

October  27th.  A  committee  of  the  west  end  precinct  church, 
was  appointed,  '  to  discourse  with  certain  members  of  the  church, 
who  had  withdrawn  from  their  communion  and  see  if  something 
could  not  be  said  or  done  to  draw  them  to  our  communion  again, 
and  if  we  cannot  draw  them  by  fair  means,  then  to  determine  what 
means  to  take  with  them.'  ^ 


1716- 

January  24:th.  A  day  of  humiliation  was  kept  by  the  church  in 
the  west  precinct,  for  several  reasons ;  one  was,  *  that  God  would 
prevent  ye  spread  of  errors  in  this  place,  especially  the  errors  of  the 
quakers.'  f 

We,  at  the  present  day,  can  hardly  conceive  of  the  feelings  enter- 
tained and  manifested  by  our  ancestors,  against  the  quakers.  In 
the  law,  passed  by  Massachusetts,  in  1658,  the  fourth  section  thus 
commences.  '  Whereas  there  is  a  cursed  sect  of  hereticks  lately 
risen  up  in  the  world,  which  are  commonly  called  quakers,'  and  so 
forth.  In  1661,  another  law  was  passed,  '  to  prevent  the  intrusions 
of  the  quakers,  who  do  like  rogues  and  vagabonds  come  in  upon 
us,'  and  so  forth.  In  1658,  Robert  Adams,  of  Newbury,  was  in- 
dicted for  attending  a  friends'  meeting,  in  Salem,  at  the  house  of 
Nicholas  Phelps,  to  hear  William  Brend  and  William  Leddra.  In 
1680,  governor  Simon  Bradstreet  thus  writes  to  '  the  right  honorable 
the  lords  of  his  majesty's  privy  council.'  l  We  have  no  beggars 
and  few  idle  vagabonds,  except  a  few  quakers  from  Road  Island, 
that  much  molest  us.'  In  1704,  Judge  Sewall  thus  writes.  ' 1  told 
Mr.  [Nicholas]  Noyes  of  Salem  of  ye  quaker  meeting  at  Samuel 
Sayers  and  of  ye  profaneness  of /ye  young  Hoags  professing  that 
heresy.'  These  'young  Hoags,'  were  all  sons  of  John  Hoag,  and 
resided  in  the  west  parish  of  Newbury.  In  this  year,  [1716,]  says 
judge  Sewall,  there  was  a  '  quakers'  dispute  at  Newbury.' 

In  the  account  book  of  Stephen  Jaques,  I  find  the  following, 
namely : 

'  October  21s£,  1716.  On  the  sabath  day  about  eleven  of  the  clock  in  sarman 
time  it  grue  so  dark  that  one  could  not  see  a  parson  from  one  end  of  the  metting 

*  West  parish  records.  t  Church  records. 


188  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

hous  to  the  other  except  it  was  against  a  window,  nor  could  know  another  four 
seats  off,  nor  read  a  word  in  a  psalm  book.  It  continued  near  half  an  hour. 
Sum  ministers  sent  for  candels,  sum  set  still,  till  it  was  lighter.  Sum  was  ready 
to  think  ye  world  was  at  an  end  ;  all  seemed  to  be  consarned.  It  was  a  time 
when  ye  air  was  very  full  of  smoke.  It  came  dayly  down  \vhen  it  was  a  south 
west  wind,  the  wind  now  being  as  I  remember  at  est,  which  might  bring  ye 
smoak  back,  and  dark  clouds  pass  over,  as  it  being  cloudy  weather.  I  was  an 
eie  witness  of  this  myself. 

STEPHEN  JAQUES.' 

For  a  similar  account  of  the  same  darkness,  see  Philosophical 
Transactions,  number  four  hundred  and  twenty-third. 

In  October  of  this  year,  '  governor  Shute  went  from  Boston  to 
Portsmouth,  was  met  by  the  Newbury  troop,  conducted  to  lieutenant 
governor  Dummer's  house,  where  his  excellency  was  finely  enter- 
tained that  night  and  morning.'  ^ 

J|       In  judge  Sewall's  diary,  under  date  of  June  twenty-second,  I  find 
1  the  following.     '  I  essayed  to  prevent  negroes  and  Indians  being 
\/      I  rated  with  horses  and  cattle,  but  could  not  succeed.' 

'-—^Instances  like  the  following,  were  formerly  frequent.      In  the 
inventory  of  the  estate  of  Samuel  Morgaridge,  who  died  in  1754, 
I  find, 

'  Item,  three  negroes,   ......     £133,  6s.  Sd. 

t  Item,  flax,      .......  12,  2,    8.' 

In  the  inventory  of  Henry  Rolfe's  estate,  taken  in  April,  1711,  I 
find  the  following,  namely, 

'  Fifteen  sheep,  old  and  young,    .         .         .         .         .     £3,  15s. 

'  An  old  gun,  .......  2 

1  An  old  negroe  man,  ......     10,     0 


In  Moses  Gerrish's  inventory,  I  find, 

6  Barley,  Indian  corn,  and  oats,         ....     £10. 

4  An  Indian  slave,         ......  20.' 

From  the  tax  book  of  William  Titcomb,  junior,  I  make  the 
following  extract.  This  year  the  number  of  ratable  polls  in  New- 
bury was  six  hundred  and  eighty-five,  of  which  four  hundred  and 
thirty-seven  were  in  the  first  parish,  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  in 
the  west  parish  and  fifty-two  in  the  falls  parish.  In  August,  a  val- 
uation of  the  town's  property  was  taken.  Plough  land  and  meadow 
were  estimated  at  twelve  shillings  per  acre,  pasture  land  at  six  shil- 
lings. The  whole  valuation  of  property,  real  and  personal,  was  nine 
thousand  and  sixty-two  pounds,  and  one  shilling. 

In  1712  and  1713,  the  number  and  valuation  stood  thus  : 

1712,  polls  584,  estate  £7857. 

1713,  «     613,       "        7790. 

The  province  rate  was  5s.         per  poll,  and  6d.      on  the  pound. 
The  town  rate  was       2,   3d.     «      «     and  2  1-2    "     «         " 
Mr.  Toppan's  rate  was  2,  6d.     «      "     and  3          "     "        " 

*  News  Letter. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  189 


1717- 

This  year  is  rendered  memorable,  by  the  unusual  quantity  of 
snow,  which  fell  on  the  twentieth  and  twenty-fourth  of  February. 
In  these  two  storms,  the  earth  was  covered  with  snow,  from  ten  to 
fifteen  feet,  and,  in  some  places,  to  twenty  feet,  deep.  Many  one- 
story  houses  were  covered,  and,  in  many  places,  paths  were  dug, 
from  house  to  house,  under  the  snow.  Many  visits  were  made, 
from  place  to  place,  by  means  of  snow  shoes,  the  wearers  having 
first  stepped  out  of  their  chamber  windows,  on  these  excursions. 
4  Love,'  we  know,  l  laughs  at  locksmiths,'  and,  of  course,  will  disre- 
gard a  snow-drift.  Tradition  informs  us,  that  a  Mr.  Abraham 
Adams,  wishing  to  visit  his  'ladye  love,'  Miss  Abigail  Pierce, 
mounted  his  snow  shoes,  took  a  three  miles'  walk,  for  that  purpose, 
and  entered  her  residence  as  he  left  his  own,  namely,  by  the  cham- 
ber window.  He  was  the  first  person  the  family  had  seen  from 
abroad,  for  more  than  a  week.  Cotton  Mather  has  left  in  writing 
a  particular  account  of '  the  great  snow,1  and  the  many  marvels  and 
prodigies  attending  it. 

Stephen  Jaques,  in  his  account,  thus  writes.  c  The  year  1717-18 
aftar  this  darkness  *  was  the  sadest  time  for  sickness.  A  mortal 
feaver  spred  throw  ye  country  and  in  about  three  months  time  it 
made  twenty  widows,  besides  many  other  parsons  swept  away.' 


1718. 

May  \\th.  i  The  selectmen  were  desired  not  to  grant  approbation 
for  above  five  taverns  and  not  above  three  retailers  of  strong  drink.'f 

Town  voted  '  to  invite  the  neighbouring  towns  in  the  county  of 
Essex  to  join  with  us  in  endeavouring  to  obtaine  a  dividing  of  ye 
county  of  Essex  into  two  counties.'  f 

June  23d.  Richard,  son  of  captain  Richard  Gerrish,  of  Ports- 
mouth, was  dro\vned  at  the  end  of  Long  wharf. 

September  24th.  The  town  granted  to  Moses  Chase,  Abraham 
Annis,  Joseph  Pike,  William  Morse,  Benjamin  Smith,  Abiel  Kelly, 
Jonathan  Kelly,  John  Swett,  John  Carr,  and  Joshua  Bayley,  on 
their  petition,  c  eighty  rods  of  the  flatts  above  Holt's  rocks  to  fish  on, 
on  condition  they  pay  as  an  acknowledgement  to  ye  town  two 
salmon  per  year  one  to  Mr.  Toppan,  ye  other  to  Mr.  Tufts,  if  they 
catch  them.1 

The  value  of  salmon  at  this  time,  may  be  estimated,  by  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  Anthony  Morse. 


1  Mr.  Morse, 


This  is  to  desire  ye  favonr  of  you  to  gett  me  one,  two  or  three  or  more  of 
ye  first  sammon  yt  can  be  had  this  year.     I  am  willing  to  give  a  good  price  and 

*  October  twenty-first,  1716.  t  Town  records. 


190  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

a  great  price  rather  than  not  have  it  and  will  pay  a  man  and  horse  for  bringing 
it  to  content,  but  observe  he  do  n't  bring  for  any  body  else  at  ye  same  time.  If 
there  be  but  one  single  sammon,  send  away  forthwith.  If  more,  then  it  will  help 
ye  extraordinary  charge,  but  do  n't  let  them  be  kept  till  almost  spoiled  in  hopes 
of  more.  Pray  give  my  sarvice  to  your  father  Moody  and  I  desire  his  help  in 
this  affair.  If  you  have  success  let  ye  bearer  call  at  Mr.  Woodbridge's  and  at 
captain  Corner's  in  his  way  to  me,  for  they  may  happen  at  ye  same  time  to 
have  some.  I  shall  take  it  very  kindly  if  you  will  be  mindfull. 

I  am  your  friend 

H.  WHITTON. 
Boston.  March  twenty-first,  1728.' 


1719- 

March  6th.  Cottle's  lane,  now  South  street,  was  laid  out,  <  one 
rod  and  a  half  wide  from  High  street  to  Merriinack  river.' 

March  Wth.  Town  voted  to  give  Mr.  John  Woodbridge,  forty 
pounds  '  for  the  year  ensuing  to  keep  a  free  school  for  latin  scholars, 
readers,  writers  and  cypherers,  and  sixty  pounds  for  maintaining 
schools  in  the  remote  parts  of  the  town.' 

This  year,  potatoes  were  introduced,  by  some  emigrants  from 
Ireland.  They  were  raised  in  the  garden  of  Mr.  Nathaniel  Walker, 
esquire,  of  Andover.  Tradition  informs  us,  that  the  first  which 
were  raised  in  Newbury,  grew  on  the  land,  once  owned  by  Henry 
Sewall,  lately  by  Mr.  Stephen  Noyes,  and  now  by  Mr.  William 
Sargent,  but  in  what  year  this  valuable  root  first  made  its  ap- 
pearance in  Newbury,  no  record  informs  us.  In  1732,  I  find,  in  a 
Mr.  Morgaridge's  journal,  '  half  a  bushel  of  pertaters,  six  shillings,' 
and  in  the  same  year,  '  one  peak  of  pertaters.'  In  the  diary  of  a 
farmer  of  Lynn,  he  mentions  '  patatas,'  in  1733.  In  1737,  the  rev- 
erend Thomas  Smith,  of  Portland,  says,  in  his  diary,  '  there  is  not 
a  peck  of  potatoes  in  the  whole  eastern  country.'  In  1739,  Robert 
Adams  chronicles  the  sale  of  a  bushel  and  a  half  of  'pertaters.' 
Their  introduction  into  general  use,  was  slow,  and,  so  late  as  1750, 
should  any  person/  have  raised  so  large  a  quantity  as  five  bushels, 
great  would  have  been  the  inquiry  among  his  neighbors,  in  what 
manner  he  could  dispose  of  such  an  abundance.  They  were,  at 
first,  raised  in  beds,  like  onions. 

May  12lh.  The  town  voted  *  that  all  the  country  roads  should 
be  four  rods  broad,  if  they  are  not  now.' 

In  the  latter  end  of  this  year,  the  people  of  New  England  were 
much  excited  and  alarmed,  at  the  appearance  of  the  northern  lights, 
which  were  to  them  a  novelty,  and  were  supposed  to  betoken  some 
dire  calamity.  In  the  journal  of  Mr.  Stephen  Jaques,  under  the 
date  of  December  eleventh,  1719,  he  thus  writes. 

1  December  llth,  1719.  Between  seven  and  eight  o'clock  at  night,  the  moone 
being  neare  the  full,  it  might  want  two  days,  there  appeared  in  ye>  north  above 
like  a  rainbow,  but  it  was  white.  It  seemed  to  reach  from  norwest  to  northeast, 
and  it  was  more  strait  in  the  middle  than  a  rainbow.  It  seemed  to  be  eight 
foot  wide.  It  looked  like  a  cloud.  There  appeared  in  the  north  clouds,  which 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  191 

looked  very  red  and  seemed  to  flie  up  allmost  overhead,  as  if  they  had  been 
driven  with  a  farse  wind  and  then  parted  to  the  east  and  so  vanished  away. 
The  white  cloud  or  bow  remained  an  hour  or  two.  Between  ten  and  eleven 
there  appeared  a  cloud,  which  came  from  ye  norwest  like  a  mist.  We  could 
see  the  stars  through  it.  It  was  as  red  as  blood  or  crimson,  but  not  a  thick  red. 
My  eies  saw  it. 

STEPHEN  JAQUES.' 

Lewis,  in  his  history  of  Lynn,  says,  '  the  northern  lights  were 
first  observed  this  year  on  the  seventeenth  of  December.'  As  the 
moon  was  '  neare  the  full,'  any  person,  with  an  almanac  for  1719, 
can  easily  ascertain  which  is  correct,  December  eleventh,  or 
December  nineteenth. 

1720. 

'  This  year,'  says  doctor  Holmes,  in  his  annals,  l  tea  began  to  be 
used  in  New  England.'  It  must,  however,  have  been  used  in  small 
quantities,  many  years  before.  The  first  tea  kettles  were  small 
articles,  made  of  copper,  and  first  used  in  Plymouth,  in  1702.  The 
first  cast  iron  tea  kettles,  were  made  in  Plympton,  now  Carver, 
between  1760  and  1765.  <  When  ladies,'  says  Lewis,  '  went  to 
visiting  parties,  each  one  carried  her  tea  cup,  saucer  and  spoon. 
The  tea  cups  were  of 'the  best  china,  very  small,  containing  as  much 
as  a  common  wine  glass.'  %• 

From  an  unpublished  letter,  written  in  England,  in  the  year  1740, 
January  first,  I  extract  the  following. 

•'  They  are  not  much  esteemed  now  that  will  not  treat  high  and  gossip  about. 
Tea  is  now  become  the  darling  of  our  women.  Almost  every  little  tradesman's 
wife  must  set  sipping  tea  for  an  hour  or  more  in  a  morning,  and  it  may  be  again 
in  the  afternoon,  if  they  can  get  it,  and  nothing  will  please  them  to  sip  it  out  of 
but  china  ware,  if  they  can  get  it.  They  talk  of  bestowing  thirty  or  forty  shil- 
lings upon  a  tea  equipage,  as  they  call  it.  There  is  the  silver  spoons,  silver 
tongs,  and  many  other  trinkets  that  I  cannot  name.' 

'  1720  March  ye  first  about  half  an  hour  after  eight  of  ye  clock 
there  appeared  a  thick  strack  from  ye  northwest  to  ye  southest  all- 
most  right  ovar  my  head  like  an  arch  and  it  seemed  to  be  about 
eight  or  ten  foot  in  breadth.  It  was  like  a  very  thick  black  smoke 
of  a  chimney,  and  seemed  very  low.  It  began  in  ye  norwest  to 
vanish  and  disappear  and  so  by  degrees  to  pass  away,  the  moon 
about  half  an  hour  high  a  going  down.'  Stephen  Jacques*  journal. 

i  August  20th.  'Tis  said  Mr.  Lucas,  the  church  of  England 
minister,  cut  his  own  throat  at  Newbury.  However  the  minister  of 
Marblehead  set  a  good  face  on  it,  had  the  corpse  carried  into  the 
church  and  preached  a  funeral  sermon.'  f 

4  November  24=th.  There  appeared  on  this  day  about  eight  of  the 
clock  at  night  a  light  in  ye  north  almost  like  that,  which  appeared 
the  last  year,  it  being  red,  but  not  so  much.  The  Friday  night 

*  History  of  Lynn.  |  Judge  Sewall's  diary. 


192  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

before  there  appeared  in  ye  north  between  seven  and  eight  a  light 
like  the  day  light,  when  it  breaks  three  quarters  of  an  hour  high.' 

Stephen  Jaques*  journal. 

1721. 

September  20th.  The  town  chose  deacon  Nathaniel  Coffin,  en- 
sign William  Titcomb,  and  lieutenant  Henry  Rolfe,  to  receive  the 
town's  part  of  the  fifty  thousand  pounds,  granted  by  Massachusetts, 
thirteenth  of  July,  1720,  and  let  it  out,  on  good  security,  in  sums 
not  less  than  ten  pounds,  nor  more  than  thirty  pounds,  at  five  per 
centum,  for  no  longer  period  than  one  year  at  a  time.  For  the  use  of 
this  money,  the  town  was  to  pay  the  state  four  per  centum.  This  was 
the  famous  '  land  bank '  scheme,  as  it  was  called,  which  proved  so 
injurious  to  the  estates  of  many  individuals. 

In  judge  Sewall's  diary,  of  this  year,  I  find  the  following. 

'  Thomas  Hale  [was]  made  a  justice.  I  opposed  it,  because  there 
are  five  in  Newbury  already  and  he  had  lately  kept  an  ordinary  and 
sold  rum.  I  was  answered  he  had  laid  it  down.  I  fear  it  will  not 
be  for  the  honour  of  the  persons,  nor  of  the  governor  and  council, 
nor  for  the  welfare  [of  the  town]  unless  perhaps  dwelling  on  the 
neck  he  may  give  check  to  traveling  on  the  Lord's  day.'  Within 
the  limits  of  '  ould  Newberry,'  there  are  now  forty-four  justices. 

September  21st.  This  year,  the  small-pox  prevailed  in  New 
England.  More  than  eight  hundred  died  in  Boston,  where  it  began. 
Newbury  sent  twenty  pounds  to  the  poor  of  Boston,  in  wood. 


The  town's  stock  of  ammunition  was,  this  year,  examined,  and 
found  to  consist  of  seven"bags  and  two  casks  of  bullets,  and  eight 
casks  of  powder,  consisting  of  five  hundred  and  forty-three  pounds 
of  bullets,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty-seven  pounds  of  powder. 

'  The  fever  began  at  Rowley  and  many  peopel  dyed.  The  like 
was  not  known  in  that  town.'  # 

September  17th.  The  first  parish  in  Newbury,  gave  their  assent 
to  the  formation  of  another  parish,  in  Newbury,  which  was  formed 
September  nineteenth,  and  was  called  the  third  parish  in  Newbury, 
now  first  in  Newburyport. 

1723. 

'  February  25th.  An  unusual  high  tide,  higher  by  twenty  inches 
than  was  ever  known  before.  At  the  same  time  the  sea  at  Hamp- 
ton broke  over  its  banks  for  some  miles  together  and  continued 
running  for  several  hours.'  f 

*  Stephen  Jaques'  journal.  t  Cotton  Mather. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  193 

February  25th.  '  Second  parish  bought  of  deacon  William 
Morss  for  seven  pounds  ten  shillings  half  an  acre  of  land  near 
Swett's  ferry,  and  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  Ezekiel  Hale  for  a  bury- 
ing place.'  Swett's  ferry  was  near  Holt's  rocks,  now  Rock's  bridge. 

'  March  12th.  A  committee  of  three  was  chosen  to  compute  the 
cost  of  an  alms  nouse  and  to  view  a  place '  to  set  it,  and  so  forth.1^ 

April  19th.  Mr.  Daniel  Holbrook  died.  He  had  been  called  to 
assist  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  would  have  been  ordained, 
had  his  life  been  spared.  *  He  was  taken  sick  in  the  pulpit  on  Sun- 
day April  fourteenth,  after  he  had  commenced  preaching  and  was 
obliged  to  leave  the  meeting  house.'  f 

i  This  year,'  says  Stephen  Jaques,  in  his  journal,  'was  the  sadest 
year  as  ever  was  known  in  Newbury,  for  in  ye  month  of  April  there 
died  near  forty  parsons,  most  of  them  grown  up,  sometimes  two  a 
day,  sometimes  three  a  day,  young  men  and  wimmen.  About  the 
twenty-fourth  day  of  the  month  the  town  capt  a  fast.  There  was 
nine  parsons  lay  dead  that  day  and  I  do  believe  fifty  or  sixty  or 
more  lay  sick  and  it  pleased  God  to  hear  the  prayers  of  his  people 
and  to  ansar  them  in  a  wonderfull  mannar,  for  the  nues  was  the 
next  morning  they  were  all  better,  and  so  it  was,  for  very  fue  dyed 
aftarward.  .  O  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness 
and  his  wonderfull  works  to  ye  children  of  men.' 

4  May  3d,  1723.  Newbury.  Time  of  health  now.  No  person 
that  I  know  of  having  been  lately  seized  with  the  distemper  that 
hath  proved  so  mortal.'  f 

On  occasion  of  this  mortality,  John  Calef,  son  of  John  Calef  of 
Newbury,  aged  nineteen,  wrote  and  published  three  elegies,  which 
a  writer,  thus  notices,  in  the  New  England  Chronicle,  of  August 
fifth,  1723. 

'  It  is  with  the  utmost  concern  I  would  now  represent  to  you  the  hard  fate, 
which  our  countrymen  are  like  to  suffer,  who  happen  to  die  with  a  good  name. 
The  dead  have  been  long  enough  abused  and  the  living  disturbed  by  the  very 
dregs  of  the  college  and  the  plough  in  their  elegiac  performances  insomuch 
that  some  considerable  persons  amonsr  us  have  beerAonstrained  to  do  but  little 
good  and  appear  useless  all  their  lifetime,  to  avoid  the  persecution  of  an  elegy 
at  their  death.  We  have  indeed  flattered  ourselves  that  it  would  be  better  living 
and  better  dying  for  all  honest  men  in  New  England  than  it  has  been  for  a  hun- 
dred years  past,  but  to  our  mortification  we  find  that  this  spirit  of  versification 
has  spread  itself  among  the  neat  cattle,  no  less  than  three  elegies  having  been 
lately  wrote  and  published  by  Mr.  John  Calf  of  Newbury,  one  of  which  is  upon 
the  death  of  the  reverend  Mr.  Daniel  Holbrook  of  Newbury,  who  was  taken  sick 
on  the  day  he  designed  to  preach  madam  Fryer's  funeral  sermon ;  and  how  well 
this  bleating  Calf  has  performed  his  task  and  embalmed  the  memory  of  the  de- 
ceased the  following  lines  may  shew. 

'  On  sabbath  day  he  went  his  way, 

As  he  was  used  to  do, 

God:s  house  unto,  that  they  might  know 

What  he  had  for  to  shew. 

When  he  came  there  he  went  to  prayer, 

But  veiy  faint  he  spoke, 

*  Town  records.  t  New  England  Chronicle. 

25 


194  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

His  mortal  wound  inclosed  round, 

And  gave  a  fatal  stroke. 

His  hat  he  took,  his  head  he  shook, 

A  mournful  sigh  he  gave, 

A  shepherd  true,  the  flock  went  through, 

Not  daunted  to  the  grave. 

He  often  said,  when  that  he  laid, 

His  dying  bed  upon, 

Distracted  he  should  surely  be, 

Before  his  breath  was  gone. 

God's  holy  will  he  must  fulfil, 

But  it  was  his  desire 

For  to  declare  the  sermon  rare 

Concerning  madam  Fryer. 

A  man  in  pain  doth  pray  in  vain, 

Unless  he  prays  to  God 

To  him  let 's  pray  both  night  and  day, 

To  ease  his  heavy  rod.' 

1  His  second  performance  is  a  mournful  elegy  occasioned  by  the  great  mor- 
tality in  the  family  of  Mr.  Henry  Clark  of  Newbury,  which  is  chiefly  made  up 
of  the  days  of  the  month  and  ages  of  the  persons  deceased.  And  after  he  has 
barbarously  buried  the  dead  one  after  another  as  they  were  born?  he  cries  out 
in  a  rapture 

'  If  such  vines  wither  well  may  we, 
Whose  bodies  so  corrupted  be. 

(  His  third  set  of  jingles  is  called  a  funeral  elegy  occasioned  by  the  death  of 
Mr.  Edmund  Titcomb,  at  the  close  of  which  he  has  a  few  lines  to  shew  that 
death  is  certain,  but  the  time  when  very  uncertain,  and  to  make  his  argument 
good,  he  mentions  the  death  of  Sampson  and  says  'no  body  can  deny  but  that  he 
died.7  But  methinks  this  is  but  a  poor  way  of  arguing  for  allowing  it  to  be  true 
that  Sampson  did  die,  yet  it  is  as  true  that  he  died  by  his  own  hands  and  some 
are  of  opinion  that  if  he  had  not  been  so  foolishly  heroic  as  to  pull  his  house 
down  about  his  ears  he  might  have  lived  till  this  time. 

I  To  omit  any  further  remarks  on  this  elegiographer,  "T  think  it  necessary  to  in- 
form the  world  that  since  the  publication  of  his  elegies  he  has  been  inspired 
with  a  great  desire  of  learning,  and  in  order  to  prepare  himself  for  college  he 
has  made  a  vigorous  attempt  upon  his  accidence  and  could  boast  before  two 
credible  witnesses  that  he  had  got  it  all  by  heart  twice  in  a  week. 

I 1  hear  his  next  trial  of  skill  will  be  on  Cole's  dictionary,  and  that  he  promises 
to  get  that  by  heart  in  three  months'  time,  which  if  he  does,  it  will  be  the 
interest  of  all  gentlemen  and  ladies,  deacons  and  ministers  to  beware  of  dying  in 
good  terms  with  his  calve' s  head  and  pluck,  for  then  no  doubt 

c  His  brains  will  issue  forth  and  as  they  fly 
Congeal  into  a  mournful  elegy, 
The  sense  of  which,  if  mortal  man  can  dim  in 
His  verse  may  raise  the  dead  or  kill  the  living. 

Tibuttus.' 

This  year  there  was  a  ship-yard,  and  ships  were  built,  by  Thorla's 
bridge. 

1724. 

The  war  with  the  Norridgewock  Indians,  which  began  in  1721, 
was  this  year  ended,  by  the  death  of  Sebastian  Ralle,  the  French 
Jesuit.  He  was  killed  by  lieutenant  [Richard]  Jaques,  of  Newbury. 
This  information  we  obtain  from  Hutchinson,  who  obtained  from 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  195 

4  captain  [Jeremiah]  Moulton  a  minute  and  circumstantial  account 
of  the '  battle.  He  says,  i  captain  Moulton,  with  about  eighty  men 
reached  Norridgewock  about  three  P.  M.  August  twelfth  and  com- 
menced the  attack.  After  driving  the  Indians  (about  sixty  men 
and  one  hundred  women  and  children)  over  the  river  and  killing 
many,  they  returned  to  the  town  and  found  the  Jesuit  in  one  of  the 
wigwams  firing  upon  a  few  of  our  men,  who  had  not  pursued  after 
the  enemy.  Moulton  had  given  orders  not  to  kill  the  Jesuit,  but  by 
his  firing  from  the  wigwam  one  of  our  men  being  wound,  a  lieu- 
tenant Jaques  stove  open  the  door  and  shot  him  through  the  head. 
Jaques  excused  himself  to  his  commanding  officer,  alleging  that 
Ralle  was  loading  his  gun  and  declared  that  he  would  neither  give 
nor  take  quarter.' 

On  July  sixth  of  this  year,  reverend  Christopher  Toppan,  of 
Newbury,  wrote  a  long  letter  to  Cotton  Mather,  who,  if  any  thing 
strange,  prodigious,  or  unnatural  happened,  was  sure  to  obtain  an 
account  of  it.  From  this  letter,  now  in  the  library  of  the  American 
Antiquarian  Society,  in.  Worcester,  I  make  the  following  extract. 

c  Concerning  the  amphisbena.*  as  soon  as  I  received  your  commands  I  made 
diligent  enquiry  of  several  persons,  who  saw  it  after  it  was  dead,  but  they  could 
give  me  no  assurance  of  its  having  two  heads,  as  they  did  not  strictly  examine 
it,  not  calling  it  the  least  in  question  because  it  seemed  as  really  to  have  two 
heads  as  one.  They  directed  me  for  further  information  to  the  person  I  before 
spoke  of,  who  was  out  of  town,  and  to  the  persons,  who  saw  it  alive  and  killed 
it,  which  were  two  or  three  lads,  about  twelve  or  fourteen,  one  of  which  a  pert 
sensible  youngster  told  me  yt  one  of  his  mates  running  towards  him  cryed  out 
there  was  a  snake  with  two  heads  running  after  him,  upon  which  he  run  to  him, 
and  the  snake  getting  into  a  puddle  of  water,  he  with  a  stick  pulled  him  out, 
after  which  it  came  towards  him,  and  as  he  went  backwards  or  forward,  soe  the 
snake  would  doe  likewise.  After  a  little  time,  the  snake  upon  his  striking  at 
him,  gathered  up  his  whole  body  into  a  sort  of  quoil,  except  both  heads^  which 
kept  towards  him,  and  he  distinctly  saw  two  mouths  and  two  stings  (as  they  are 
vulgarly  called)  which  stings  or  tongues  it  kept  putting  forth  after  the  usual 
manner  of  snakes,  till  he  killed  it  Thus  far  the  lad.  This  day  understanding 
the  person  mentioned  before  was  returned.  I  went  to  him,  and  asked  him  about 
the  premises,  he  told  me  he  narrowly  examined  the  snake  being  brought  to  him 
by  the  lads  after  it  was  dead  and  he  found  two  distinct  heads  one  at  each  end, 
opening  each  with  a  little  stick,  in  each  of  which  he  saw  a  sting  or  tongue,  and 
that  each  head  had  two  eyes,  throwing  it  down  and  going  away,  upon  second 
thoughts  he  began  to  mistrust  his  own  eyes,  as  to  what  he  had  seen,  and  there- 
fore returned  a  second  time  to  examine  it,  if  possible,  more  strictly,  but  still 
found  it  as  before.  This  person  is  so  credible  that  I  can  as  much  believe  him 
as  if  I  had  seen  him  myself.  He  tells  me  of  another  man  yt  examined  it  as  he 
did,  but  I  cannot  yet  meet  with  him. 

1  Postscript.  Before  ensealing  I  spoke  with  the  other  man,  who  examined  the 
amphisbena  (and  he  is  also  a  man  of  credit)  and  he  assures  me  ytit  had  really 
two  heads,  one  at  each  end.  two  mouths,  two  stings  or  tongues  and  so  forth. 

•  Sir  I  have  nothing  more  to  add  but  that  he  may  have  a  remembrance  in  your 
prayers,  who  is,  Sir,  your  most  humble  servant 

CHRISTOPHER  TOPPAN.' 

'  A  smart  close  winter,  ending  February  twenty-eighth,  1725.'  f 

*  Amphisbena,  a  snake  with  two  heads,  one  where  the  tail  should  have  been, 
t  Reverend  T.  Smith's  diary. 


196  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 


1725. 

This  year,  the  third  parish  in  Newbury,  now  first  in  Newbury- 
port,  erected  their  meeting-house,  of  which,  the  earliest  notice  that 
I  find,  is  the  following,  from  a  letter,  written  by  William  Moody, 
of  By  field,  to  his  brother,  judge  Sewall,  dated  seventeenth  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1725.  He  thus  writes  :  '  our  people  at  towne  are  going  to 
build  another  meeting  house,  but  intend  to  set  it  so  nigh  to  Mr. 
Toppan's,  that  I  fear  it  will  make  great  contention.  Newbury  are 
great  sufferers  this  day  for  what  have  happened  by  contending  about 
the  place  of  a  meeting  house.' 

February  25th.  The  town  '  voted  that  a  towne  house  should  be 
built  and  should  be  set  at  the  upper  end  of  Greenleaf's  lane,'  % 
[now  State  street.] 

June  25th.  On  this  day,  the  third  parish  meeting-house,  now  first 
in  Newburyport,  was  dedicated.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  the 
reverend  John  Tufts,  of  Newbury.  The  house  was  at  first  forty-five 
by  sixty  feet,  in  length  and  breadth,  but,  in  i736,  was  enlarged,  thus 
making  it  sixty  by  eighty  feet.  It  stood  in  what  is  now  the  market 
place,  in  Newburyport,  the  steeple  fronting  the  river.  The  pulpit, 
which  was  on  the  westerly  side,  standing  near  where  the  town 
pump  now  stands. 

August  3d.  The  reverend  John  Lowell  was  called  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  having  preached  to  the  people  from  June  twenty- 
seventh. 

August  3\st.  '  About  midnight  a  company  of  rioters  assembled 
on  horseback  and  with  crow  bars  broke  the  doors,  bolts  and  locks 
of  the  gaol  in  Newbury  and  took  off  on  spare  horses,  Isaac  Brown 
and  Hugh  Ditson  charged  with  capital  offences.  Governor  William 
Dummer  offered  a  reward  of  fifty  pounds  for  their  apprehension.'  f 

November  '30th.  A  committee,  consisting  of  '  lieutenant  colonel 
Richard  Kent,  major  Joseph  Gerrish,  deacon  Caleb  Moody,  lieuten- 
ant Charles  Pierce  and  captain  John  March  were  appointed  to  use 
all  proper  means  with  others  of  other  towns  for  to  get  the  county  of 
Essex  divided  into  two  counties.'  3k 

In  November,  the  general  court  '  ordered  a  committee  to  view 
the  situation  of  the  westerly  end  of  the  first  parish.'  This  committee 
met  December  first,  and  reported  December  eighth. 

December  29th.  i  The  third  parish  voted  to  give  Mr.  John  Low- 
ell one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds  yearly  salary  and  two  hundred 
to  build  him  a  house.' 

The  general  court  confirmed  the  dividing  line  of  the  third  parish, 
which  was  '  Chandler's  lane,  [now  Federal  street,]  thence  to  captain 
John  March's  farm,  [now  Samuel  Thurlow's,]  thence  to  the  line  of 
the  second  parish,'  with  this  condition,  that  those  who  wished,  might 
remain  with  the  first  parish.  About  thirty  remained.  Eight  fami- 
lies, south  of  Chandler's  lane,  wished  to  belong  to  the  new  society. 

*  Town  records.  t  News  Letter. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  197 


1726- 

January  12th.  The  third  congregational  church  in  Newbury, 
was  this  day  gathered,  by  the  reverend  Caleb  Gushing,  of  Salisbury. 
Twenty-two  of  the  male  members  had  been  dismissed,  January 
second,  from  the  first  church  in  Newbury,  for  that  purpose.  The 
day  was  observed  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer.  A  sermon  was 
preached  by  the  reverend  Moses  Hale,  of  By field. 

January  19th.  The  reverend  John  Lowell  was  ordained  pastor 
of  the  third  church  in  Newbury.  Sermon  by  the  reverend  Thomas 
Foxcroft,  of  Boston. 

1727- 

January  17th.  The  town  '  voted  that  a  work  house  and  a  house 
of  correction  should  be  built.'  ^ 

March  22d.  First  parish  'voted  to  give  the  third  parish  the 
old  bell.' 

3Iay  10th.  A  highway,  of  two  rods  wide,  was  laid  out,  <  from 
ye  country  road  near  to  his  honor  the  lieutenant  governor  Dummer's 
house  to  the  parsonage  land  in  Byneld  parish  on  the  land  of  John 
Dummer  esquire,  Mr.  Richard  Dummer  and  Mr.  Joseph  Noyes.'  * 

May  23d.  The  third  parish  <  voted  to  get  a  bell  weighing  about 
four  hundred  pounds.' 

July  25th.  c  Town  voted  to  make  a  good  and  sufficient  way  over 
Ash  swamp  —  said  way  to  be  covered  with  suitable  wood  of  thir- 
teen feet  in  length  and  the  wood  to  be  well  covered  with  gravel  all 
across  fhe  swarnp,'  *  and  so  forth. 

September  16th.  '  A  mighty  tempest  of  wind  and  rain,  which 
did  much  hurt  by  land  and  sea.'  f 

4  In  the  month  of  September.'  says  Stephen  Jaques,  <  on  Saturday 
in  ye  afternoon  ye  wind  began  to  be  very  strong  and  increased  more 
in  the  night.  It  blew  down  and  brake  six  trees  in  my  ould  orchard 
and  trees  all  over  ye  woods.  There  never  was  ye  like  known.  It 
twisted  young  walnut  trees  in  ye  midst.  It  raised  a  great  tide, 
which  swept  away  near  two  hundred  load  of  hay,  that  was  in  swath.' 

As  the  earthquake,  which  happened  in  October  of  this  year,  was 
one  of  the  most  violent  ever  felt  in  New  England,  and  as,  according 
to  Hutchinson  and  other  writers,  '  the  shock  wTas  greater  at  Newbury 
and  other  towns  on  Merrimack  river  than  in  any  other  part  of  Mas- 
sachusetts.' I  shall  be  a  little  more  minute,  in  my  extracts  from  ac- 
counts written  in  Newbury  at  the  time.  From  the  records  of  the 
episcopal  church  in  Newburyport,  kept  by  the  reverend  Matthias 
Plant,  I  make  the  following  extract. 

c  October  29th,  1727.  Being  the  Lord's  day  at  forty  minutes  past  ten  the  same 
evening,  there  was  a  most  terrible,  sudden  and  amazing  earthquake,  which  did 

*  Town  records.  t  Reverend  Mr.  Phillips. 


198  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

damage  to  the  greatest  part  of  the  neighbourhood,  shook  and  threw  down  tops 
of  chimnies  and  in  many  places  the  earth  opened  a  foot  or  more.  It  continued 
very  terrible  by  frequently  bursting  and  shocking  our  houses  and  lasted  all  that 
week  (the  first  being  the  loudest  shock,  and  eight  more  that  immediately  fol- 
lowed, louder  than  the  rest  that  followed)  sometimes  breaking  with  loud  claps 
six  times  or  oftener  in  a  day  and  as  often  in  the  night  until  Thursday  in  the  said 
week  and  then  somewhat  abated.  Upon  Friday  in  the  evening  and  about 
midnight,  and  about  break  of  day  and  on  Saturday  there  were  three  very 
loud  claps.  We  also  had  it  on  Saturday,  the  sabbath,  and  on  Monday  morning 
about  ten,  tho'  much  abated  in  the  noise  and  terror.  Upon  the  Tuesday  follow- 
ing, November  seventh,  about  eleven  o'clock  a  very  loud  clap  upon  every  day 
or  night  more  or  less  three,  four,  six  times  each  day  or  night  and  upon  the 
twelfth  being  the  Lord's  day  twice  from  betwixt  three  to  half  past  four,  in  all 
which  space  of  time  some  claps  were  loud,  others  seemingly  at  a  distance  and 
much  abated.  Upon  Monday  two  hours  before  day  a  loud  burst  and  at  half 
past  two  in  the  afternoon  another  burst  was  heard  somewhat  loud.  On  the  nine- 
teenth about  ten  at  night  a  very  loud  shock  and  another  about  break  of  day, 
somewhat  here  abated,  but  at  Haverhill  a  very  loud  burst,  making  their  houses 
rock,  as  that  over  night  did  with  us.  It  was  Lord's  day  in  the  evening.  It  hath 
been  heard  twice  since  much  abated.  The  very  first  shock  opened  a  new  spring 
by  my  father  Samuel  Bartlet's  house  in  the  meadow  and  threw  up  in  the  lower 
grounds  in  Newbury  several  loads  of  white  sand.  After  that  some  loud  claps, 
shocking  our  houses.  On  December  seventeenth,  about  half  an  hour  after  ten 
being  Lord's  day  at  evening  a  very  loud  burst,  shocking  our  houses.  Another 

about  four  the  next  morning  abated.' 

• 

The  next  account,  is  one  written  by  Stephen  Jaques,  and  is  as 
follows,  namely : 

t  On  the  twenty-ninth  day  of  October  between  ten  and  eleven  it  being  sabath 
day  night  there  was  a  terabel  earthquake.  The  like  was  never  known  in  this 
land.  It  came  with  a  dreadful  roreing,  as  if  it  was  thunder,  and  then  a  pounce 
like  grate  guns  two  or  three  times  close  one  after  another.  It  lasted  about  two 
minits.  It  shook  down  briks  from  ye  tops  of  abundance  of  chimnies,  some 
allmost  all  the  heads.  Knight's  and  Toppan's  fell.  All  that  was  about  ye 
houses  trembled,  beds  shook,  some  cellar  walls  fell  partly  down.  Benjamin 
Plumer's  stone  without  his  dore  fell  into  his  cellar.  Stone  wals  fell  in  a  hundred 
plasis.  Most  peopel  gat  up  in  a  moment.  It  came  very  often  all  ye  night  aftar, 
and  it  was  heard  two  or  three  times  some  days  and  nights,  and  on  the  sabath 
day  night  on  ye  twenty-fourth  of  December  following  between  ten  and  eleven 
it  was  very  loud,  as  any  time  except  ye  first,  and  twice  that  night  aftar  but  not 
so  loud.  The  first  night  it  broke  out  in  more  than  ten  places  in  ye  town  in  ye 
clay  low  land,  blowing  up  ye  sand,  sum  more,  sum  less.  In  one  place  near 
Spring  island  it  blew  out,  as  it  was  judged  twenty  loads,  and  when  it  was  cast 
on  coals  in  ye  night,  it  burnt  like  brimstone.' 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  letter,  written  by  Henry  Sewall,  of 
Newbury,  to  his  kinsman,  judge  Samuel  Sewall,  of  Boston.  It  is 
printed  in  the  Boston  News  Letter. 

'Newbury,  November 21st,  1727. 
1  Honored  sir : 

'  Thro'  God's  goodness  to  us  we  are  all  well  and  have  been  preserved  at 
the  time  of  the  late  great  and  terrible  earthquake.  We  were'  sitting  by  the  fire 
and  about  half  after  ten  at  night  our  house  shook  and  trembled  as  if  it  would 
have  fallen  to  pieces.  Being  affrighted  we  ran  out  of  doors,  when  we  found 
the  ground  did  tremble  and  we  were  in  great  fear  of  being  swallowed  up  alive, 
but  God  preserved  us  and  did  not  suffer  it  to  break  out,  till  it  got*  forty  or  fifty 
rods  from  the  house,  where  it  broke  the  ground  in  the  common  near  a  place 


N.EmmonsPinx! 


.  /////  •////'///•  gfflvbetejer  £fa  CMS////  ?/'  ^'/ 

.''  \ 


i^,  mi  •MI-',  (>''uhr-,  IU.'.IQII-,  MS,  pe~;  runnere  fi 
ilnrii   Pi-iviint,    l'r,-H>lt;it     tli^.-.-re  veil*-  inori. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  199 

called  Spring  island,  and  there  is  from  sixteen  to  twenty  loads  of  fine  sand 
thrown  out  where  the  ground  broke,  and  several  days  after  the  water  boiled  out 
like  a  spring,  but  is  now  dry  and  the  ground  closed  up  again.  I  have  sent  some 
of  the  sand  that  you  may  see  it.  Our  house  kept  shaking  about  three  minutes.' 

December  7th.  The  church  connected  with  the  third  parish,  in 
Newbury,  met,  and  chose  a  select  number  of  the  members,  '  to 
meet  once  a  month  and  consider  what  may  be  for  the  good  of  the 
town  in  general,  especially  the  churches  in  it  and  more  particularly 
their  own  church.  The  other  churches  proceeded  in  the  same 
method  and  upon  the  same  design.'  % 


1728. 

The  reverend.Mathias  Plant  thus  continues  his  account  of  the 
earthquakes  this  year. 

f  January  third,  about  nine  at  night  an  easy  clap.  Saturday  night  and  day 
five  claps.  From  about  six  at  night  to  four  Sunday  morning  some  people  said 
it  continued  for  half  an  hour  without  ceasing  burst  upon  burst.  Upon  Wednes- 
day January  twenty-fourth  about  half  an  hour  after  nine  at  night  one  loud  burst 
followed  in  half  a  minute  by  another  much  abated.  Upon  Lord's  day  January 
twenty-eighth  another  easy  burst  about  half  after  six  in  the  morning,  another 
about  ten  same  morning  easy.  At  the  same  night  about  one  o'clock  a  loud 
burst.  Monday  January  twenty-ninth  it  was  heard  twice.  Tuesday  the  thirti- 
eth about  two  in  the  afternoon  there  was  a  very  loud  clap  equal  to  any  but  the 
first  for  terror,  shaking  our  houses  so  that  many  people  were  afraid  of  their  fal- 
ling down,  pewter  and  so  forth  was  shaken  off  dressers  at  considerable  distance. 
Another  shock  much  abated  about  half  an  hour  afterwards.  February  twenty- 
first  about  half  after  twelve  at  midnight  a  considerable  loud  burst.  February 
twenty-ninth  about  half  after  one  P.  M.  another.'  Mr.  P.  also  mentions  shocks 
as  having  occurred  i  March  seventeenth  about  three  A.  M.  March  nineteenth 
about  forty  minutes  past  one  P.  M.  and  at  nine  the  same  night.  April  twenty- 
eighth  about  five  P.  M.  May  twelfth  Sunday  morning  about  forty  minutes  past 
nine  a  loud  and  long  clap.  'May  seventeenth  Friday  about  eight  P.  M.  a  loud 
and  long  clap.  May  twenty-second  several  claps  in  the  morning,  and  about 
ten  the  same  morning  a  very  loud  and  long  clap.  May  t\venty-fourth  about 
eleven  at  night  June  sixth  about  three  in  the  morning.  June  eleventh  at  nine 
A.  M.  July  third  A.  M.  and  July  twenty-third  about  break  of  day  a  very  loud 
clap.' 

January  30th.     '  About  two  o'clock  a  shock  of  an  earthquake.' 

1  March  18th.  The  third  parish  voted  to  add  thirty  pounds  to 
the  thirty  pounds  granted  by  the  town,'  f  for  the  schools. 

April  16th.  '  The  town  received  of  the  State  one  thousand  three 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  pounds,  and  fifteen  shillings,  being  their 
proportion  of  the  sixty  thousand  pounds,  raised  by  the  state  to 
be  loaned  to  raise  a  revenue.'  J 

May  13th.  The  town  i  voted  not  to  build  a  town  house  or  an 
alms  house  in  a  short  time.'  J 

4  In  July  there  was  a  great  drought  in  Maine.'  § 

*  Third  parish  church  records.  t  Third  parish  records. 

t  Town  records.  §  Reverend  T.  Smith's  diary. ' 


200  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

November  26th.  The  third  parish  chose  a  committee  '  to  select  a 
place  for  a  school  house  and  also  for  a  burying  place.'  This  was 
the  commencement  of  the  burying  place  near  Frog  pond. 


1729. 

January  2Sth,  1729,  died  Daniel  Emery,  aged  thirty-six.  In  his 
will,  he  gave  sixty  pounds  for  the  use  of  the  ministry,  of  which, 
ten  pounds  was  for  communion  plate,  twenty  pounds  more  for  the 
first  church,  which  should  be  gathered  at  Chester,  and  a  minister 
ordained,  twenty  pounds  for  Nottingham,  twenty-five  pounds  to  the 
parish  in  which  he  belonged,  twenty-five  pounds  to  Mr.  Tufts,  fifty 
pounds  to  his  kinsman  at  college,  and  one  thousand  pounds  to  his 
brothers  and  sisters,  besides  providing  liberally  for  his  widow. 

April  15th.  The  inhabitants  of  the  upper  part  of  the  west  parish, 
on  this  day  made  an  agreement *  to  build  a  meeting  house  fifty  feet 
by  thirty-eight  and  twenty  foot  stud.' 

August  2Slh.  The  people  in  the  upper  part  of  the  west  parish, 
petitioned  the  general  court,  to  divide  the  west  parish  into  two  pre- 
cincts. They  state,  among  other  things,  that  they  '  have  near  eight 
score  dwelling  houses,  besides  churchmen  and  quakers.' 

From  an  accurate  map  of  the  west  parish  of  Newbury,  taken  by 
John  Brown,  esquire,  and  dated  September  fifteenth^  1729,  on  which 
is  drawn,  a  representation  of  every  house  in  the  parish,  and  the 
name  of  each  occupant,  it  appears  that  the  number  of  houses  was 
at  that  time  one  hundred  and  eighty-four,  and  number  of  families 
one  hundred  and  eighty- three. 

'  March  nineteenth  betwixt  two  and  three  P.  M.  earthquake  very 
loud.  September  eighth  at  half  past  three  P.  M.  another  shock.  Sep- 
tember twenty-ninth  about  half  past  four  P.  M.  another.  October 
twenty-ninth  the  earthquake  was  heard  twice  that  night,  one  of  the 
times  being  about  the  time  of  night  it  was  the  first  time  we  heard 
it  two  years  past. 

'  November  fourteenth  about  eight  A.  M.  it  was  loud  being  at- 
tended with  two  cracks  like  unto  two  sudden  claps  of  thunder  and 
shook  the  house.  November  twenty-seventh,  about  eight  P.  M.  a 
very  loud  noise  and  a  large  shock  of  the  earthquake.  It  was  heard 
at  Ipswich.'  # 

1730. 

February  19th.     '  The  earthquake  was  pretty  loud  before  day.' 
March  Wth.     Town  voted  not  to  approbate  more  than  six  per- 
sons to  keep  houses  of  public  entertainment. 

March  17th.     '  The  third  parish  voted  to  set  their  school  house 

*  Reverend  Matthias  Plant's  journal. 


HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY.  201 

by  Frog  pond  about  two  thirds  of  the  way  between  Fish  street 
[now  State  street]  and  Green  street.'  #= 

This  year  the  '  burying  place,'  now  burying  hill,  near  Frog  pond, 
was  inclosed  with  a  board  fence.'  ^ 

In  this  year,  shocks  of  an  earthquake  were  noticed  and  recorded, 
on  '  February  eighth  about  eight  P.  M.  and  at  midnight.  February 
twenty-sixth  two  shocks  a  quarter  before  two  A.  M.  April  twelfth 
about  eight  P.  M.  July  twenty-eighth  about  nine  A.  M.  August 
fifteenth  two  shocks  about  eight  A.  M.  November  sixth  about 
eleven  A.  M.  a  loud  shock.  November  fourteenth  about  nine  A. 
M.  another.  November  twenty-fifth  another  about  twenty  minutes 
past  eight  P.  M.  December  eleventh  at  a  quarter  before  seven  P. 
M.  December  nineteenth  about  half  past  ten  P.  M."  a  very  heavy 
shock.  It  was  perceived  at  Boston  and  Portsmouth  about  equal  to 
ours  here.' 

1731. 

February  22d.  The  town  voted  this  day  '  to  build  a  town  house 
in  Chandler's  lane,'  now  Federal  street.  From  this  vote  fifty-seven 
persons  dissented.f 

'  March  9th.  Mr.  John  Woodbridge  was  chosen  a  grammer 
school  master  for  the  year  ensuing  and  shall  have  forty-five  pounds 
for  his  service  and  shall  have  none  but  Latin  scholars?  f 

March  9th.  l  The  town  granted  liberty  to  William  Johnson  and 
nine  others  to  build  a  wharf  at  the  foot  of  Chandler's  lane  [now 
Federal  street]  on  condition  it  be  built  within  four  years  and  that 
the  inhabitants  of  Newbury  may  fasten  their  hay  boats  or  gondolas 
to  said  wharf  without  paying  for  it.' 

Liberty  was  also  given  to  Abiel  Somerby  and  others,  to  build  a 
wharf  at  the  foot  of  Queen  street,  now  Market  street,  on  similar 
conditions. 

1  March  22d.  William  Hsley  and  Joseph  Morse  junior  were 
chosen  and  appointed  to  tune  the  psalm  in  ye  meeting  house  in 
time  of  publick  worship  and  take  their  turn  in  that  work  that  it 
may  be  done  with  ye  more  ease  and  cheerfulness.  And  the  said 
Morse  is  appointed  to  sit  in  the  fore  seat  of  ye  south  body  with  ye 
said  Ilsley  for  ye  managing  said  work.'  f 

March  29th.  The  second  parish  voted  to  desire  the  general  court, 
to  confirm  the  setting  off  the  fourth  parish,  from  the  second,  which 
was  done  by  a  committee,  on  February  twenty-second,  according 
to  a  vote  passed  by  the  second  parish,  January  sixth,  consenting  to 
the  division. 

May  10th.  '  Town  voted  to  give  to  the  first  parish  in  Kittery 
fifty  pounds  towards  building  a  meeting  house.'  f 

Shocks  of  the  earthquake  were  this  year  noticed  by  Mr.  Plant, 
as  happening  c  January  seventh,  about  seven  P.  M.  January  elev- 

*  Third  parish  records.  t  Town  records,  J  First  parish  records. 

26 


202  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

enth  about  midnight.  March  seventh  five  P.  M.  May  twenty- 
eighth  nine  A.  M.  July  fifth  about  sunrise.  August  twenty -first, 
evening.  October  twenty-first  about  eleven  P.  M,  loud  and  long.' 

On  February  first,  a  subscription  paper  was  circulated,  for  the 
purpose  of  raising  money  to  build  a  town  house,  '  to  be  set  where 
will  be  best  entertaining  for  horses,  for  strangers  and  so  forth/  pro- 
vided '  any  person  will  give  the  land  to  set  said  house  upon  between 
the  meeting  house  and  Archelaus  Adams'  tavern  house.' 

It  was  finished,  and  conditionally  deeded  to  the  county,  February 
eighteenth,  1735,  reverting  to  the  town  and  parish,  should  no  court 
be  held  in  it  for  nine  months.  The  original  cost  of  the  building 
was  five  hundred  and  thirty  pounds,  and  ten  shillings,  of  which  the 
county  paid  two  hundred  pounds,  and  individuals  contributed  the 
remainder.  It  was  occupied  as  a  court  house,  town  house,  school 
house,  and  so  forth,  and  stood  on  land,  given  by  Benjamin  Morse, 
opposite  the  head  of  Marl  borough  street,  where  captain  Amos 
Knight's  house  now  stands.  It  remained  there  till  March  fifth,  1780, 
when  it  was  bought  at  auction  by  John  Mycall,  esquire. 


1732. 

'January  5th.  This  day  died  in  Dedham  that  noted  Indian, 
Samuel  Hyde  in  the  one  hundred  and  sixth  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  a  faithful  soldier  to  the  English.  It  was  said  by  himself,  and 
of  him  by  others  that  he  killed  nineteen  of  the  enemy  Indians  (he 
kept  the  account  on  his  gun)  and  would  fain  have  made  up  the 
number  twenty.'  ^ 

This  '  noted  Indian '  was  for  some  time  a  resident  in  Newbury, 
of  whom,  many  anecdotes  are  still  told,  indicative  not  only  of  his 
wit  and  shrewdness,  but  of  his  incorrigible  mendacity.  The  phrase, 
'  you  lie  like  Sam  Hyde,'  or,  '  you  lie  like  old  Hyde,'  expresses  to  a 
native  of  Newbury,  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  lying.  Among  the  testi- 
monies on  file,  among  the  county  papers,  is  one  concerning  him,  in 
a  complaint  against  a  citizen  of  Newbury,  which  is  quite  character- 
istic, but  not  suitable  for  publication.  In  a  petition  to  the  general 
court,  August  twenty-fifth,  1676,  Daniel  Gookin,  senior,  testifies, 
'  that  Sam  and  Jeremy  Hyde  have  acquitted  themselves  well  both 
for  courage  and  fidelity,  especially  Sam  Hyde,  whom  they  have 
witnessed  to  be  one  of  the  best  and  most  active  of  them  all,'  and 
that '  he  took  at  Bridgewater  one  young  man,  and  five  young  wo- 
men and  children  at  other  places,  and  he  slew  one  lusty  young  man 
and  brought  his  hand  to  captain  Hunting  at  mount  Hope.' 

May  12th.  The  town  voted,  that  'the  school  be  kept  at  the 
town's  house  by  the  meeting  house  in  the  first  parish  this  year.' 
This  was  probably  the  watch  house. 

'  September  5th,  at  eleven  P.  M.  there  was  a  small  shock  of  an 
earthquake.'  f 

*  News  Letter.  t  Parish  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  203 


1733. 

1  The  winter  of  1732-3,'  says  Stephen  Jaques,  l  was  very  severe. 
The  snow  fell  about  ye  fourteenth  of  November  and  lay  until  April. 
Hay  was  three  pounds  a  load.  Peach  trees  began  to  blossom  ye 
eleventh  of  May,'  [old  style.] 

March  13th.  A  committee  was  appointed  <  to  procure  a  frame 
and  other  materials  for  a  town  house,'1  which,  on  May  eleventh,  the 
town  granted  '  liberty  to  the  first  parish  to  build  within  two  years 
on  their  own  cost  and  charge  near  lieutenant  John  March's  house,'  ^ 
and  which,  on  December  fourth,  the  first  parish  i  voted  should  be 
for  the  use  of  the  county.'  f 

1  October  19th,  Friday  about  midnight,'  says  Mr.  Plant,  'there 
was  a  long  and  loud  noise  of  the  earthquake.' 

4  .November  £th.  Moses  Brad  street  killed  on  Plum  island  in  a 
violent  storm  sixty  wild  geese  with  a  club.'  J 

November  25th.  A  moose,  seven  feet  high,  was  killed  in 
Salisbury. 

1734. 

^January  16th,  about  twenty  minutes  past  ten  A.  M.  there  was 
an  earthquake  long  and  loud.'  § 

'  January.  Mr.  John  Stickney,  aged  forty-one,  a  noted  coaster,  fell 
overboard  from  his  sloop  and  was  drowned' 

4  The  winter  of  1733-4  was  very  moderate.' 

May'  7th.  The  town  granted,  on  certain  conditions,  *  liberty  to 
have  a  bridge  built  over  the  river  Parker  provided  it  may  be  built 
and  maintained  without  being  a  charge  to  this  town  of  Newbury 
and  within  ten  years  from  ye  date  hereof.' 

\June  29th,  at  a  quarter  past  three  P.  M.  there  was  another 
earthquake.'  § 

<  August.  A  great  storm.  Much  hay  carried  off  and  Indian 
corn  damaged.' 

September  13th.  Town  '  voted  that  the  town  house  shall  be  fin- 
ished with  the  remainder  of  the  interest  money  of  ye  first  bank,  and 
that  said  house  shall  be  made  sure  to  the  town  and  county.' 

September  23d.  A  committee  was  chosen  to  comply  with  *  the 
order  of  court  July  thirtieth  to  build  a  prison.' 

'  October  9th,  about  twenty  minutes  past  ten  A.  M.  an  earthquake.'  § 

'November  12th,  about  one  A.  M.  we  had  the  loudest  noise  and 
greatest  shock  (except  the  first  of  all)  very  awful  and  terrible  and 
long.  November  sixteenth  at  six  A.  M.  a  severe  shock.'  § 

*  Town  records.  t  Parish  records.  J  Boston  paper.  §  M.  Plant. 


204  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 


1735. 

i  February  2d,  about  six  P.  M.  there  was  a  shock  of  the  earth- 
quake pretty  loud.'  ^ 

'  March  llth.  The  town  voted  thirty  pounds  to  make  Rolf's  lane 
a  town  way.' 

'  March  21st,  about  half  past  ten  A.  M.  there  was  a  loud  noise  of 
the  earthquake.'  * 

In  May  this  year,  a  disorder,  called  the  throat  distemper,  appeared 
in  Kingston,  NeW  Hampshire.  The  first  person  who  took  the  dis- 
ease, was  a  Mr.  Clough,  who,  having  examined  the  swelled  throat 
of  a  dead  hog,  died  suddenly  with  a  swelling  in  his  throat.  In 
about  three  weeks,  three  children,  about  a  mile  from  Mr.  Clough's, 
were  attacked,  and  died  in  thirty-six  hours.  In  fourteen  towns  in 
New  Hampshire,  nine  hundred  and  eighty-four  died  between  June, 
1735,  and  July  sixteenth,  1736.  In  Massachusetts,  the  mortality 
was  nearly  as  great  as  in  New  Hampshire.  A  particular  account 
of  the  number  in  each  town  in  the  two  states,  was  published,  by 
the  reverend  Mr.  Fitch,  in  Portsmouth,  and  the  reverend  John 
Brown,  of  Haverhill.  Of  the  mortality  in  Newbury,  Stephen 
Jaques  thus  writes  : 

'  A  sickness  began  by  the  water  side  about  September  at  Thomas  Smith's, 
which  carried  off  two  of  his  children  and  prevailed  among  the  children,  so  that 
by  the  middle  of  February  there  died  from  Chandler's  lane  [Federal  street] 
with  the  falls  eighty-one  persons.  John  Boynton  lost  eight  children.  Benjamin 
Knight  had  three  buried  in  one  grave.'  Mr.  John  Boyton  had  four  children 
buried  in  one  grave,  two  on  Saturday,  and  two  on  Sunday,  December  twentieth 
and  twenty-first.  In  another  place,  Stephen  Jaques  'writes  as  follows. 

'  Thursday,  October  29th.  My  wife  went  into  a  chamber,  that  was  locked,  to 
fetch  candels,  that  was  in  a  bushel  under  a  bed,  and  as  she  kneeled  down  and 
took  her  candels  and  laid  them  on  the  bed  and  thrust  back  the  half  bushel, 
there  came  out  a  child's  hand.  She  saw  the  fingers,  the  hand,  a  streked  boy's 
cote  or  sleeve,  and  upon  sarch.  there  was  no  child  in  the  chamber.  On  Thurs- 
day a  fortnite  aftar,  my  Steven's  son  Henry  died.  The  next  Thursday  Ebene- 
zer  died.  The  next  Monday  morning  his  eldest  son  Stephen  died.' 

July  2Ath.  Town  '  chose  Joseph  Gerrish  and  Henry  Rolfe  es- 
quires to  use  proper  means  to  have  ye  county  of  Essex  divided  into 
two  counties.' 

'  In  September  a  Newbury  sloop,  Ofnn  Boardman,  master,  with 
a  cargo  of  rafts  at  her  stern  was  overset  on  her  passage  from  Casco 
bay  to  Boston  and  thirteen  persons  drowned.' 


1736. 

February  2d.     There  was  an  earthquake. 

March.     The  third  parish  '  voted  to  enlarge  their  meeting  house 
thirty-five  feet  back.'     It  was,  when  erected,  in  1725,  forty-five  by 

*  M.  Plant 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  205 

sixty  feet.  It  was  now  eighty  by  sixty  feet  They  also  '  voted  to 
petition  the  general  court  to  have  liberty  to  raise  money  in  order  to 
keep  a  grammar  school  for  themselves,  as  the  first  parish  has  peti- 
tioned, and  be  freed  from  paying  to  any  other  school.'  On  the  twenty- 
fifth  of  March,  the  first  parish  had  petitioned  for  the  same  liberty/* 

'July  13th.  About  three  quarters  past  nine  in  the  forenoon,  there 
was  a  loud  shock  of  the  earthquake.'  f 

September.  The  ways  for  landing  of  ferry  boats  was  settled  by 
court. 

September  21st.  A  committee  of  three  '  was  appointed  to  treat 
with  his  majestie's  justices  about  moving  the  gaol  now  standing  in 
Newbury.'  J 

September  21st.  '  The  town  leased  March's,  now  Newbury  port, 
ferry  to  Benjamin  Woodbridge  and  Moses  Gerrish  for  seven  years 
at  thirty-six  pounds  a  year.'  $ 

'  October  1st.  About  half  past  one  A.  M.  there  was  a  great  and 
very  loud  shock  of  the  earthquake.'  f 

'November  12th.  About  two  A.  M.  another  shock,  and  about  six 
the  same  morning  another.'  f 

'December  29th.  There  was  a  surprising  bloody  appearance  in 
the  heavens.'  § 

In  this  year  thirteen  families  in  Byfield  buried  all  their  children 
with  the  '  throat  distemper.' 

1  In  the  year  1734  a  few  caterpillars  of  a  peculiar  kind  appeared  on  the  oak 
trees  as  soon  as  the  leaves  began  to  grow.  In  1735,  a  much  larger  number,  one 
hundred  to  one,  were  seen,  but  in  this  year  the  number  of  caterpillars  was 
astonishing.  Almost  all  the  woods  in  Haverhill  and  Bradford,  some  part  of  the 
east  end  excepted,  the  easterly  part  of  Chester  and  Andover,  many  thousand 
acres  of  fhick  woods  had  their  leaves  and  twigs  of  this  year's  growth  entirely 
eaten  up.  They  cleared  off  every  green  thing  so  that  the  trees  were  as  naked 
as  in  the  depth  of  winter.  They  were  larger  than  our  common  caterpillar  and 
made  no  nests.  No  river  or  pond  could  slop  them.  They  would  swim  like 
dogs,  and  travel  in  unaccountable  armies  and  completely  cover  whole  houses 
and  trees.  Cart  and  carriage  wheels  would  be  dyed  green  from  the  numbers 
they  crushed  in  their  progress.'  || 

Richard  Kelly,  of  Amesbury,  in  his  diary,  says,  *  they  are  larger 
than  the  orchard  caterpillar,  but  smooth  on  the  back  with  a  black 
streak  with  white  spots.  They  are  thought  by  many  to  be  the 
palmer  worm.' 

1737. 

'February  6th.  About  a  quarter  past  four  P.  M.  there  was  a 
considerable  shock  of  an  earthquake.'  f 

*  In  ye  spring  of  this  year,'  says  Richard  Kelly,  '  was  an  extraor- 
dinary scarce  time  for  hay.  Many  cattle  in  the  country  were  lost 
and  many  others  brought  very  low,  and  the  summer  after  was  the 
scarcest  time  for  corn  that  ever  I  knew.' 

*  Parish  records.  t  M.  Plant.  J  Town  records. 

§  Reverend  Mr.  Parkman's  manuscripts.      ||  Honorable  Bailey  Bartlet's  almanacs. 


206  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

March  15th.  Humphrey  Richards  was  chosen  sexton  of  the  first 
parish  in  Newbury,  a  post  which  he  occupied  without  interruption 
till  his  death  in  March,  1785,  a  period  of  forty-eight  years.  His 
successor  was  Moses  Short,  who  was  annually  chosen  to  the  same 
office,  from  1789,  till  a  short  time  before  his  death,  July  sixth,  1841, 
a  period  of  nearly  fifty-two  years. 

June  15th.  The  general  court  impowered  the  inhabitants  of  the 
first  parish  to  support  a  grammar  school,  and  exempted  them  from 
paying  elsewhere. 

August  Wth.  On  this  day  the  assembly  of  New  Hampshire  met 
at  Hampton  falls,  and  that  of  Massachusetts,  at  Salisbury.  A  large 
cavalcade  was  formed  at  Boston,  which  with  a  troop  of  horse  es- 
corted the  governor.  At  Newbury  ferry  he  was  met  by  another 
troop,  and  at  the  supposed  divisional  line  between  the  states  by 
three  more,  who  escorted  him  with  great  pomp  to  the  George  tav- 
ern in  Hampton  falls,  where  he  held  a  council  and  made  a  speech 
to  the  New  Hampshire  assembly.  The  object,  which  both  assem- 
blies had  in  view  in  thus  meeting  within  five  miles  of  each  other, 
was  to  settle  the  line,  a  subject,  which  had  created  great  interest  in 
both  provinces.  The  governor's  cavalcade  occasioned  the  following 
pasquinade. 

1  Dear  paddy  you  never  did  behold  such  a  sight, 

As  yesterday  morning  was  seen  before  night. 

You,  in  all  your  born  days  saw,  nor  I  neither, 

So  many  fine  horses  and  men  ride  together. 

At  the  head,  the  lower  house  trotted  two  in  a  row, 

Then  all  the  higher  house  pranced  after  the  low. 

Then  the  governor's  coach  galloped  on  like  the  wind, 

And  the  last  that  came  foremost  were  the  troopers  behind. 

But  I  fears  it  means  no  good  to  your  neck,  nor  mine, 

For  they  say  tis  to  fix  a  right  place  for  the  line.'  * 

From  November  seventeenth,  1735,  to  October  sixth,  1737,  one 
hundred  and  ninety-nine  persons  died  with  the  throat  distemper  in 
Haverhill,  Massachusetts. 

'December  7th.  A  little  before  eleven  at  night  the  earth  quaked 
very  much.'  f 

1738. 

The  regular  increase  of  the  mercantile  interest  among  c  the  water 
side  people,'  especially  in  ship  building,  and  the  consequent  addition 
to  the  population,  not  only  from  other  parts  of  the  country,  but  from 
Europe,  made  it  extremely  inconvenient  for  the  congregationalists 
to  worship  either  in  the  first  or  second  parish,  or  for  the  episcopa- 
lians to  worship  in  Queen  Anne's  chapel,  '  on  the  plains.'  The 
former,  as  has  been  noticed,  had  erected  their  house  of  worship  in 
the  centre  of  business,  as  early  as  1725,  and  had  been  obliged  to 
make  what  had  been  a  breadth  of  forty-five  feet,  a  length  of 
eighty  feet  in  1736,  and  though  a  portion  of  the  latter  had,  according 

*  Belknap.  t  M.  Plant. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  207 

to  a  statement  made  by  Mr.  Plant  in  his  diary,  begun  to  agitate  the 
subject  of  building  a  new  church  on  a  more  convenient  spot,  as 
early  as  1725,  nothing  effectual  was  done  till  this  year,  when  saint 
Paul's  church  was  erected  on  the  spot,  which  its  successor  now 
occupies.  The  same  cause,  which  induced  many  of  the  builders 
of  the  congregational  meeting-house  on  the  plains,  to  become  epis- 
copalians, and  to  name  their  house  of  worship,  Queen  Anne's 
chapel,  namely,  the  distance  they  had  to  travel,  soon  produced  a 
division  among  themselves.  The  original  founders  of  the  society, 
who  had  been  unwilling  to  go  ''to  meeting]  up  river  as  far  as  Pipe- 
stave  hill,  were  equally  unwilling  to  go  '  to  church]  down  river  as 
far  as  Market  street,  while  the  '  water-side  people '  had  objections 
equally  valid  against  worshiping  at i  the  plains.' 

They,  therefore,  as  soon  as  practicable,  took  the  necessary  steps 
to  obviate  the  difficulty.  '  Joseph  Atkins,  esquire,  offered  to  give 
fifty  pounds  towards  building  a  new  church  by  the  water  side 
and  I,'  says  Mr.  Plant,  'proposed  to  give  the  same  sum.  Here 
was  laid  the  foundation  of  a  new  church,'  and  so  forth,  which, 
though  raised  in  1738,  was  not  sufficiently  finished  for  public 
worship  till  1740.  In  February,  1742,  eleven  persons  gave  Mr. 
Plant  a  written  invitation  to  preach  at  saint  Paul's  church.  This, 
with  the  consent  of  the  people  at '  the  plains,'  he  agreed  to  do,  every 
other  Sunday,  but  in  December,  regret  having  been  expressed,  that 
such  an  invitation  had  been  given  to  Mr.  P.,  a  vote  was  passed, 
that  he  should  deliver  up  the  instrument,  inviting  him  down  from 
queen  Ann's  chapel.  This  was  accordingly  done,  April  twenty- 
first.  1743,  and  virtually  excluded  him  from  saint  Paul's  church. 
The  contest  now,  was  between  INfr.  Plant  and  the  water  side 
people,  they  desiring  to  manage  the  affairs  of  saint  Paul's  church 
in  their  own  way,  independent  of  him,  and  he,  on  the  other  hand, 
demanding,  that  they  should  give  him  induction  into  saint  Paul's 
church.  This  they  refused  to  give,  and  the  difficulty  thus  com- 
menced, was  not  settled  till  June  twenty-fourth,  1751,  when,  in  the 
language  of  the  reverend  doctor  Morss,  '  the  independence  of  the 
gentlemen  at  the  water  side  was  relinquished  and  Mr.  P.  was  legally 
inducted  into  saint  Paul's  church.'  In  his  private  diary,  of  which 
I  have  a  copy,  he  details  with  great  minuteness,  all  the  difficulties 
between  himself  and  the  water  side  people,  in  letters  to  doctor  Bear- 
croft,  which  are  very  interesting,  but  of  which  we  have  no  room, 
even  for  an  abstract.  He  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  strict 
integrity,  and  'great  benevolence,  and  encountered  the  difficulties 
which  beset  him,  with  firmness  and  discretion.  On  December 
twenty-third,  1751,  he  made  choice  of  Mr.  Edward  Bass,  to  assist 
him  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  died  April  second,  1753,  aged 
sixty-one,  having  officiated  from  April,  1722,  a  period  of  thirty- 
one  years. 

February  26th.  On  this  day  a  council  was  called,  in  the  second 
parish,  to  take  into  consideration  *  the  distressed  state  and  condition 
of  ye  second  church  of  Christ  in  Newbury  by  reason  of  their  rev- 


208  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

erend  pastor  Mr.  John  Tufts  being  charged  by  a  woman  or  women 
of  his  indecent  carriage  and  also  of  his  abusive  and  unchristian 
behavior  towards  them  at  several  times  and  so  forth.'  ^ 

The  council,  consisting  of  ten  ministers  and  twenty  delegates, 
met,  but  Mr.  Tufts  refused  to  unite  with  the  council,  vehemently 
opposed  the  swearing  of  the  witnesses  against  him,  and  in  this  un- 
settled state  of  affairs,  he  asked  and  obtained  a  dismission  from  the 
church  and  people,  March  second,  the  church  refusing  to  recommend 
him  as  a  Christian  minister,  and  stating,  among  other  things,  that,  as 
Mr.  T.  had  never  been  admitted  a  member  of  the  second  church,  a 
recommendation  and  dismission  from  the  church  would  not  be 
proper, 

May  18th.  The  town  granted  permission  to  Joseph  Atkins,  and 
sixty-four  others,  to  build  a  wharf  at  the  foot  of  Queen  street,  now 
Market  street. 

This  year  there  was  published  in  Boston,  a  pamphlet  of  seven- 
teen pages  of  rhyme,  concerning  the  ravages  of  the  throat  distem- 
per. The  two  following  verses  are  a  sufficient  specimen. 

To  Newbury  0  go  and  see 
To  Hampton  and  Kingston 
To  York  likewise  and  Kittery 
Behold  what  God  hath  done. 

The  bow  of  God  is  bent  abroad 

Its  arrows  swiftly  fly 

Young  men  and  maids  and  sucking  babes 

Are  smitten  down  thereby. 


1739. 

January  10th,  was  the  first  snow  this  winter  that  lay. 

January  31st.  Reverend  Thomas  Barnard  ordained  pastor  of  the 
second  church  and  parish  in  Newbury.  At  this  time,  the  church 
contained  two  hundred  and  twenty  members. 

April  llth.  Mr.  William  Coker,  of  Newbury,  and  Mr.  Samuel 
Green,  of  Boston,  were  drowned  in  Merrimac  river. 

August  2d,  about  half  past  two,  a  great  shock  of  the  earthquake.! 

December  9th.     No  ice  on  Merrimac  river,  no  frost  in  the  ground. 

December  29th.  The  town  chose  two  persons  '  to  prosecute  any 
person,  who  should  kill  any  buck,  doe  or  fawn  contrary  to  law.' 

December  29th.  General  court  passed  a  law,  restraining  cattle 
and  horses  from  going  on  Plum  island,  under  a  penalty,  forbidding 
the  cutting  of  bushes,  and  so  forth. 


1740. 

In  May,  Mr.  Samuel  Long,  of  Newbury,  buried  his  wife  and 
four  children,  (all  his  family,)  with  the  '  throat  distemper.' 

*  Letter  missive.  t  M.  Plant. 


HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY.  209 

September  Wth.  The  reverend  George  Whitefield  preached  on 
this  day,  for  the  first  time  in  Newbury.  At  one  of  his  subsequent 
addresses,  in  front  of  the  meeting-house,  which  then  stood  on  the 
east  side  of  High  street,  a  few  rods  south  of  Federal  street,  a  stone 
was  thrown  at  him,  which  nearly  struck  the  bible  from  his  hand. 
His  answer  to  this  unprovoked  assault,  was  the  following.  '  I  have 
a  warrant  from  God  to  preach.  His  seal,  (holding  up  the  bible,)  is 
in  my  hand  and  I  stand  in  the  King's  high  way.'  * 

The  summer  and  fall  of  this  year,  were  as  remarkable  for  the 
rain,  which  fell  and  flooded  the  country,  as  the  subsequent  winter 
was,  for  the  severity  of  the  cold.  It  was  probably  the  most  severe 
winter  ever  known,  since  the  settlement  of  the  country.  Reverend 
Mr.  Plant,  Stephen  Jaques,  honorable  Nathaniel  Coffin,  and  many 
others,  recorded  some  of  the  most  remarkable  events  that  occurred, 
from  which  I  shall  make  a  few  extracts. 

4  The  summer  of  1740  was  a  wet  summer.  In  October  gathered 
our  corn,  one  third  very  green.  We  could  not  let  it  stand  by  reason 
of  rain.  *  On  November  fourth,  the  winter  set  in  very  cold.  On 
the  fifteenth  a  foot  of  snow  fell,  about  the  twenty-second  of  the 
month  it  began  to  rain  and  it  rained  three  weeks  together.  The 
stars  in  the  evening  seemed  as  bright  as  ever,  but  the  next  morning 
rain  again,  which  occasioned  a  freshet  in  Merrimack  river,  the  like 
was  not  known  by  no  man  for  seventy  years.  It  rose  fifteen  feet 
at  Haverhill  and  floated  off  many  houses.  It  was  said  that  a  sloop 
might  pass  between  Emery's  mill  and  his  house,  and  that  the  water 
was  twelve  feet  deep  on  Rawson's  meadow  at  Turkey  hill.'  f 

'  It  washed  away  all  the  wood  and  timber  for  building  of  ships 
so  that  .for  fourteen  days  every  inhabitant  was  fishing  for  wood  in 
the  river.  It  was  commonly  supposed  that  upwards  of  two  thou- 
sand cords  were  taken  up  on  Plum  island.'  J 

'  Our  corn,'  says  Stephen  Jaques,  l  moulded  as  fast  as  six  hogs 
could  eat  it.' 

4  December  12th.  The  river  was  shut  up  again  by  the  severity  of 
the  weather.  Before  the  first  of  January  loaded  teams  passed  from 
Haverhill,  Newbury,  Newtown,  Amesbury,  sometimes  twenty,  thir- 
ty, forty  in  a  day  having  four,  six,  eight  oxen  in  a  team  and  landed 
below  the  upper  long  wharf  nigh  to  the  ferry.  People  ran  upon 
the  ice  for  several  days  to  half  tide  rock.  Shipping  was  all  froze  in 
and  this  severity  extended  to  New  York  government.  On  Decem- 
ber fourteenth  about  thirty-five  minutes  past  six  there  was  a  loud 
noise  of  the  earthquake.'  J 

1741. 

4  January  tenth  there  was  a  thaw,  which  held  three  days.  Janu- 
ary eighteenth  about  four  A.  M.  and  on  January  twenty-fifth  about 

*  Reverend  S.  P.  William's  historical  discourse.  t  Stephen  Jaques. 

J  Reverend  M.  Plant. 

27 


210  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

ten  minutes  before  four  P.  M.  there  was  an  earthquake.  February 
third  about  a  foot  more  of  snow  fell,  February  ninth  another  great 
snow,  and  on  February  —  another.  In  February  the  streets  were 
full  of  snow  to  the  top  of  the  fences  and  in  some  places  eight  or 
ten  feet  deep.  The  river  all  the  time  was  frozen  over  to  colonel 
Pierce's  farm.  March  twenty-eighth  the  sleighing  was  good  on 
the  river  to  colonel  Peirce's  farm  and  Plum  island.  April  seventh 
there  fell  about  a  foot  of  snow  so  there  now  lay  about  four  feet 
deep  in  the  woods.  From  December  fifth  1740  till  March  twenty- 
seventh  1741  Plum  island  river  was  frozen  over.  On  the  nineteenth 
and  twentieth  of  March  the  river  was  frozen  to  the  lower  end  of 
Seal  island.  In  Plum  island  river  the  ice  broke  about  thirtieth  of 
March.  There  were  twenty-seven  snows  this  winter,  the  hardest 
winter  that  ever  was  known.'  '  The  people  of  Newbury  had  the 
principal  part  of  their  corn  ground  at  Salisbury  mills.  From  Feb- 
ruary third  till  March  thirty-first  Pearson's  mill  was  stopped  by  the 
ice.  February  twenty-eighth  the  ice  at  Deer  island  the  strongest 
place  of  the  tide  was  thirty  inches  thick.' 

Some  time  this  year,  commenced  in  this  county  and  town,  the 
remarkable  revival  of  religion,  which,  commenced  under  the  preach- 
ing of  the  reverend  Jonathan  Edwards,  in  1735,  and  continued  by 
Whitefield,  Tennent,  and  many  others,  agitated  not  only  New  Eng- 
land, but  the  whole  country.  An  accurate  account  of  the  '  great 
awakening'  in  this  vicinity,  the  effects  of  which  are  to  this  day 
everywhere  visible,  would  require  a  volume.  To  other  sources, 
therefore,  must  the  inquisitive  reader  look,  on  this  interesting  sub- 
ject. The  following  hitherto  unpublished  letter,  will  doubtless 
gratify  some  of  my  readers. 

'  To  Nathaniel  Coffin,  esquire,  at  Newbury. 

Kittery,  October  14th,  1741. 

1  Honored  Sir, 

1  This  may  inform  you  that  we  had  a  comfortable  time  home  and  found  all 
in  health. 

i  But  the  chief  design  is  to  give  you  a  short  representation  of  the  mighty 
work  of  God  at  York.  The  reverend  Mr.  Willard  of  Biddeford  took  a  journey 
the  last  wee'k  up  as  far  as  our  town  to  visit  the  brethren  and  see  how  they  did, 
preached  at  every  town  as  he  came ;  on  Tuesday  twice  at  York,  on  Wednesday 
at  our  parish  from  these  words  :  l  Lo  they  that  are  far  from  thee  shall  perish,7 
showed  very  plainly  in  what  respects  we  were  far  from  God  and  the  certainty 
of  our  perishing,  if  taken  away  in  that  state  :  some  few  only  much  affected. 
Upon  his  return  to  York  on  Thursday  he  preached  from  Hebrews  third,  seventh 
and  eighth  verses  :  '  wherefore  (as  the  Holy  Ghost  saithj  to-day,  if  ye  will  hear 
his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts,  as  in  the  provocation,  in  the  day  of  temptation 
in  the  wilderness.'  Where  God  was  pleased  in  a  most  wonderful  manner  to 
set  home  his  word  by  his  spirit  on  the  hearts  of  the  hearers.  Being  much 
desired  to  preach  to  them  on  Friday  and  Saturday,  he  did  with  the  same  power 
and  the  same  influence  of  the  spirit  of  God  accompanying  his  sermons.  Mr. 
Moody  seeing  that  God  had  so  blest  his  preaching  at  York  desired  him  to  tarry 
the  sabbath  which  he  did  and  preached  three  sermons  on  said  day,  the  blessing 
still  following.  Mr.  Moody  supplied  Mr.  Willard's  pulpit.  The  news  reached 
us  on  Saturday  night.  On  Monday  Mr.  Rogers  with  thirty  or  forty  of  his  hear- 
ers went  to  York  to  see  this  marvellous  work,  father  Bartlett  and  myself  in 
company  (to  my  great  amaze  and  surprize)  for  the  one  half  was  not  told  us, 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  211 

neither  indeed  is  it  possible  for  my  pen  to  express  it  to  you.  A  universal  concern 
about  their  souls  and  what  they  shall  do  to  be  saved.  More  than  forty  that  no 
doubt  are  truly  converted,  about  thirty  of  whom  have  received  comfort  and  are  full 
of  the  love  of  God  and  Christ,  perfectly  in  a  rapture  of  joy  being  in  full  assurance 
of  faith,  whose  mouths  are  rilled  with  praises  to  God  and  the  riches  of  his  free 
grace  in  Christ  manifested  so  clearly  to  them.  Most  of  them  young  persons 
under  twenty-five  and  down  to  the  age  of  five  and  six  years.  Some  middle 
aged  and  a  few  old  persons.  To  hear  these  little  children  of  six,  seven  and 
eight  years  old  talk  so  powerfully,  wonderfully  and  experimentally  of  the  things 
of"  God  and  Christ  and  particularly  of  the  doctrine  of  free  grace  is  unaccount- 
able were  it  not  truly  by  the  spirit  and  power  of  the  Almighty.  The  finger  of 
the  Lord  is  most  certainly  in  this  matter. 

1  It  would  be  almost  endless  to  give  you  a  particular  account  of  those  I  talked 
with,  both  of  those  new  converts  and  also  of  them  under  strong  and  hopeful 
conviction.  The  like  was  never  seen  in  New  England.  The  conversion  of 
those  at  Northampton  [1734,  5  and  6,1  according  to  Mr.  Edwards'  account  is  not 
comparable  to  this.  The  Lord  is  pleased  to  make  quick  work  of  it.  Some 
convinced,  humbled  to  the  dust  and  converted  in  a  minute,  others  in  an  hour — 
others  in  a  night  and  others  longer  —  to  see  them  under  convictions  and  in  such 
an  extraordinary  concern,  so  that  the  most  acute  or  most  sharp  pain  of  body 
that  ever  I  saw  is  any  way  comparable  to  it  —  and  how  should  it  be,  since  Sol- 
omon tells  us  that  the  spirit  of  a  man  sustaineth  his  infirmity,  but  a  wounded 
spirit,  who  can  bear — they  are  indeed  pricked  in  their  heart  and  cry  out  what 
shall  we  do.  They  admit  of  no  meat,  drink  or  sleep  till  they  find  rest  for  their 
souls  in  Christ. 

1  Mr.  Rogers  preached  to  a  very  numerous  congregation  on  the  same  day  at 
York  and  the  spirit  accompanied  his  sermon  as  well  as  Mr.  Willard's.  Three 
persons  in  particular  that  were  mocking  and  scoffing  on  sabbath  evening  were 
wonderfully  convinced  at  this  sermon  —  altho'  there  was  not  the  least  terror  in 
it,  but  altogether  on  comfort  and  joy.  Mr.  Rogers,  as  he  expressed,  had  a  far 
more  clear  manifestation  of  the  love  of  God  upon  his  own  soul  than  ever  he  had 
before.  He  was  moved  to  preach  upon  this  text  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  Acts 
and  twenty-third  verse,  •  who  when  he  came  and  had  seen  the  grace  of  God 
was  glad  ; '  and  exhorted  them  all,  that  with  purpose  of  heart  they  would  cleave 
unto  the  Lord. 

'  May  God  of  his  infinite  mercy  and  free  grace  visit  our  town  and  yours  with 
the  like  influence  of  his  holy  spirit  and  the  whole  land  and  world  of  mankind, 
which  is  the  prayer  and  heart's  desire  of  your  dutiful  son, 

EDMUND  COFFIN. 

1  Love  and  duty  and  respects  to  all  as  due. 

1  P.  S.  Young  Mr.  Moody,  ;t  is  thought,  will  come  speedily  out  of  his  dark 
and  despairing  condition  in  this  day  of  God's  mighty  power  and  visitation. 
He  is  become  very  rational  in  his  discourse,  and  mightily  composed  in  his  mind 
to  what  he  hath  been  for  these  four  years  past,  and  Jt  is  to  be  hoped  will  shortly 
appear  strong  in  the  cause  of  Christ.' 


1742. 

1  March  27th,  a  quarter  before  7  A.  M.  the  noise  of  the  earthquake 
was  very  loud,  but  it  did  not  make  any  shaking,  as  I  could  perceive, 
although  I  was  alone  and  seated  in  my  little  house.  One  thing  I 
took  notice  of  namely,  at  all  times  before,  when  we  heard  the  noise, 
which  way  our  faces  were,  that  way  the  noise  always  seemed  to  be, 
but  now  the  noise  seemed  to  be  behind  me,  and  my  family  took 
notice  of  it  that  the  noise  seemed  lo  be*  behind  them.'  * 

*  Reverend  M.  Plant. 


212  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

. 

This  was  indeed  a  phenomenon,  which  the  observer  could  not 
explain,  and  on  which  the  compiler  does  not  feel  competent  to  make 
any  comments. 

1  September  13£/i,  about  half  past  five  an  earthquake.'  # 

This  year,  the  excitement  on  the  subject  of  religion,  which  had 
for  some  time  prevailed  over  a  large  part  of  New  England,  was 
evidently,  in  this  region,  on  the  increase.  Every  church,  and  every 
parish,  was  more  or  less  affected,  and  in  some  places  to  a  degree, 
of  which  the  present  generation  can  have  but  a  faint  idea.  In  a 
letter  to  doctor  Bearcroft,  of  March  second,  1742,  reverend  Mr. 
Plant  thus  writes.  1 1  do  not  know  but  before  these  six  months  to 
come  most  of  my  hearers  will  leave  me  for  all  the  country  near  me 
is  taken  with  this  new  scheme  (as  they  call  it.)  Within  one  month 
fifty-three  have  been  taken  into  communion  in  one  dissenting  meet- 
ing house.  Some  of  them  belonged  to  another  meeting  house,  and 
the  dissenting  teacher  not  approving  of  said  scheme  they  forsook 
him  to  [attend]  at  the  other  meeting  house.'  In  another  letter,  of 
July  twenty-third,  he  says,  '  in  my  last  to  you  I  hinted  to  you  some- 
thing of  the  commotion  that  the  new  scheme  of  methodism  made 
amongst  us.  I  was  under  a  great  surprize  at  the  time,  for  I  thought 
that  all  my  people  would  be  withdrawn  from  church,  for  they  began 
to  flock  after  the  itinerants  and  told  me  in  a  full  body  that  if  they 
did  not  get  good  by  them  it  was  because  they  had  bad  hearts,  but 
how  strangely  is  the  scene  changed.' 

In  the  Boston  Evening  Post,  of  May  third,  is  an  anonymous 
article,  charging  i  the  reverend  N.  Rogers  of  Ipswich,  Mr.  Daniel 
Rogers  and  Mr.  Buel,  candidates  for  the  ministry  with  having  come 
into  Newbury  formed  a  party  and  taken  possession  of  Mr.  Lowell's 
meeting  house  without  his  knowledge,  or  asking  leave  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  house,  or  the  consent  of  the  church  or  congregation 
and  so  forth  and  that  an  attempt  of  the  like  factious  nature  was 
made  upon  the  reverend  Mr.  Toppan's  meeting  house,  but  Mr. 
Toppan  being  present  the  party  was  repulsed,'  and  so  forth. 

This  article  caused  a  reply  from  Mr.  John  Brown,  dated  May 
seventh,  denying  the  truth  of  part  of  the  charges,  and  then  another 
article,  of  May  twenty-second,  signed  J.  Lowell,  affirming  the  truth 
of  the  first  statements.  This  caused  another  reply  from  Mr.  Brown, 
in  the  Boston  Gazette,  dated  June  twenty-ninth,  and  two  other 
articles,  signed  Henry  Rolfe,  Abraham  Titcomb,  and  Humphrey 
Richards.  To  these  papers  I  refer  the  curious  reader  for  further 
information,  merely  observing,  that  I  have  not  the  space  to  give 
even  the  title  pages  of  the  sermons,  dialogues,  tracts,  and  so  forth, 
on  religious  subjects,  with  which  the  neighborhood  was  filled. 

'  Since  my  last  of  July  1742,'  says  ftlr.  Plant,  February  fifteenth, 
1743,  '  a  new  meeting  house  was  built  by  the  new  schemers.'  This 
must  have  been  the  meeting-house  in  High  street,  just  below  Fede- 
ral street,  where  the  presbyterian  society  first  worshiped. 

*  Reverend  M.  Plant. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  213 


1743. 

3Iay  16th.  l  Town  chose  a  committee  to  consult  about  building 
a  work  house,  and  to  build  a  powder  house.' 

1  August  10th ,  about  five  P.  M.  a  pretty  loud  shock  of  the  earth- 
quake.' =fc 

*  About  the  twenty-sixth  of  June  the  worms  came  upon  the  corn 
and  eat  the  grass  in  ye  low  ground,  and  did  much  damage.  Many 
people  saved  their  corn  by  ditching.  They  lasted  about  eight  or 
ten  days  and  went  away  as  strangely  as  they  came.'  f 

'  October  15th.    An  exceeding  high  tide,  which  did  much  damage.'f 

December  13th.  Town  voted  to  sell  all  the  old  law  books  be- 
longing to  the  town,  to  the  highest  bidder.  Also  to  build  a  gaol 
and  a  work  house. 

In  this  year,  a  large  number  of  the  members  of  the  churches, 
under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  reverend  Mr.  Lowell  and  the  reverend 
Mr.  Toppan,  separated  from  them,  and,  soon  after,  formed  another 
church,  after  having  had  a  long  controversy,  both  oral  and  written, 
with  their  respective  pastors,  without  coming  on  either  side  to  any 
satisfactory  result.  Having  a  transcript  of  all  the  letters  to  and  from 
the  reverend  Mr.  Toppan,  I  copy  the  following  as  a  specimen. 

1  The  reverend  Mr.  Toppan's  conduct  in  this  remarkable  day  of  divine  visita- 
tion having  occasioned  great  uneasiness  in  his  church  and  parish,  divers,  who 
were  aggrieved  thereat  from  time  to  time  went  to  discourse  him  on  divers  mat- 
ters, till  at  length  he  declared  he  would  talk  no  more  with  them  and  that  if  any 
were  uneasy  they  should  write  to  him  and  he  would  answer  them  by  writing, 
whereupon  "divers  who  were  aggrieved  met  together  and  wrote  a  letter  to  him, 
containing  the  matters  of  their  grievances,  which  Mr.  Toppan  hearing  of  sent 
the  following  letter. 

1  Newbury ,  June  10th,  1743. 
'  To  Charles  Pierce  esquire  in  Newbury. 

'Sir, 

1 1  have  been  informed  that  some  yt  are  called  schemers,  by  others  new 
light  men  (for  Satan  being  now  especially  transformed  into  an  angel  of  light 
hath  transformed  his  followers  into  his  likeness  in  regard  of  the  new  light  they 
pretend  unto)  have  drawn  up  some  articles  against  me,  some  respecting  my 
doctrine,  taught  in  publick,  some  respecting  my  belief  in  several  articles  of 
religion,  and  some  respecting  my  practices  and  I  have  been  told  you  have  the 
original  by  you.  I  have  long  desired  to  see  it,  but  could  never  yet  obtain 
it.  This  is  therefore  to  desire  of  you  to  send  me  the  original,  or  a  copy  of  it 
attested,  for  I  am  obliged  to  go  to  York  superior  court  ye  next  week  and  would 
carry  it  with  me  to  shew  to  the  superior  judges  for  their  judgment  upon  the 
whole  as  to  my  doctrines  whether  they  be  right  or  no,  for  which  I  purpose  to 
carry  my  sermons  reflected  upon,  as  to  my  principles  whether  they  be  right  or 
no,  (though  in  the  paper  before  mentioned  I  believe  there  are  many  things  false, 
for  I  never  yet  knew  a  schemer  that  would  not  lie.)  As  to  my  practices  whether 
right  or  no,  I  shall  leave  them  to  judge  and  determine.  I  purpose  to  carry  with 
me  a  copy  of  what  I  now  send  to  you  to  shew  it  to  them  j  if  you  answer  not  my 
request  in  sanding  me  the  original  or  an  attested  copy. 

Sir.  I  am  yours  to  serve  in  what  I  may, 

CHRISTOPHER  TOPPAN.' 

*  M.  Plant.  t  Stephen  Jaques. 


214  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 


1744. 

February  7th.  The  town  voted  to  give  the  county  a  piece  of 
land,  on  which  to  build  a  prison  and  prison  keeper's  house,  which 
were  this  year  built  in  Federal  street. 

'  May  13M,  in  the  morning,  and  on  May  sixteenth  at  a  quarter 
past  eleven  A.  M.  there  was  an  earthquake.' 

June  2d.  War  was  proclaimed  at  Boston,  by  England  against 
France. 

'  June  3d.  Sabbath  a  quarter  past  ten  we  had  a  terrible  shock  of 
the  earthquake.  It  made  the  earth  so  shake  that  it  made  myself 
and  many  others  run  out  of  the  church.'  ^ 

June  28th.     Public  fast,  and  in  the  evening  an  earthquake. "% 

This  summer,  the  society  of  friends  in  Newbury,  erected  a  meet- 
ing-house in  what  is  now  called  Belleville.  It  is  thirty-five  feet  in 
length,  and  twenty-five  in  breadth,  and  is  now  used  as  a  vestry  for 
the  congregational  society  there,  the  friends  having  erected  a  new 
meeting-house,  near  Turkey  hill. 

July  24cth.  The  aggrieved  brethren  of  the  first  church,  having 
been  unable  to  come  to  any  satisfactory  result,  in  their  controversy 
with  Mr.  Toppan,  an  ex  parte  council  of  eight  churches  was  this 
day  held  in  Newbury,  to  examine  the  charges  against  him,  which 
were  nine  in  number,  and  which,  having  been  written  June  seventh, 
had  been  presented  to  Mr.  T.  June  tenth,  1743.  The  council,  in 
their  report,  justify  the  aggrieved  brethren,  and  condemn  Mr.  Top- 
pan,  and  advise  the  aggrieved  brethren  i  to  hearken  to  any  reason- 
able method,  whereby  your  final  separation  from  the  church  and 
parish  may  be  prevented,'  and  conclude  by  saying,  that  '  however 
we  utterly  disapprove  of  unnecessary  separations  as  partaking  of 
great  guilt  and  accompanied  with  great  scandal,  yet  looking  upon 
your  circumstances  as  extraordinary  and  deplorable  we  cannot  think 
you  blameworthy,  if  with  good  advice  you  seek  more  wholesome 
food  for  your  souls  and  put  yourselves  under  the  watch  of  a  shep- 
herd, in  whom  you  can  confide.'  , 

August  31st.  This  day,  another  ex  parte  council  met  in  New- 
bury, called  by  the  friends  of  Mr.  Toppan,  the  charges  against 
whom  they  examined,  and  in  their  result,  acquit  him  of  nearly  all 
the  allegations  contained  in  them,  and  censure  the  aggrieved  breth- 
ren for  their  '  disorderly  walking  and  advise  them  to  return  to  the 
bosom  of  the  church  and  to  the  pastoral  care  of  him,  who  has  been 
so  faithful  and  useful  a  pastor  over  you  for  near  fifty  years,'  and  so 
forth. 

November  7th.  Captain  Donahew  sailed  from  Newbury,  in  a 
small  privateer,  belonging  to  Boston,  with  sixty  men,  took  a  sloop 
with  live  stock  eight  days  after  he  sailed,  and  in  three  days  after,  at 
Newfoundland,  took  a  French  ship  with  three  thousand  quintals  of 
fish,  and  so  forth. 

*  M.  Plant. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  215 


1745. 

In  the  reverend  Thomas  Smith's  journal,  I  find  the  following. 

(  February  2d.  Great  talk  about  Whitefield's  preaching,  and  the 
fleet  to  cape  Breton.'  These  two  subjects,  war  and  religion,  were 
at  this  time  in  every  body's  mouth.  The  enthusiasm  in  favor  of 
the  expedition  against  Louisburg  was  extraordinary,  and  almost 
unanimous,  whilst  on  the  subject  of  the  religious  tenets  and  prac- 
tices of  Whitefield  and  his  adherents,  the  community  was  divided, 
and  almost  every  man  was  either  an  ardent  advocate,  or  a  decided 
opponent.  The  consequence  of  this  state  of  things,  was  divisions 
and  contentions  in  all  the  churches,  and  many  years  elapsed  before 
the  storm  became  a  calm.  In  the  midst  of  this  excitement,  news 
came  that  Louisburg  had  been  taken  by  the  New  England  troops, 
June  sixteenth.  In  the  reduction  of  this  place,  which  was  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  events  in  the  history  of  North  America,  a  large 
number  of  Newbury  soldiers  were  engaged.  Among  the  most 
noted  of  these,  was  major  Moses  Titcomb.  Of  him  Hutchinson 
thus  speaks.  '  Major  Titcomb's  readiness  to  engage  in  the  most 
hazardous  part  of  the  service,  was  acknowledged  and  applauded. 
He  survived  the  siege,  was  colonel  of  a  regiment  when  general 
Johnson  was  attacked  by  Dieskau,  and  there  lost  his  life  in  the 
service  of  his  country.  Of  the  five  fascine  batteries  that  were 
erected  in  the  reduction  of  Louisburg,  the  last,  which  was  erected 
the  twentieth  of  May  and  called  Titcomb's  battery,  having  five 
forty- two  pounders,  did  as  great  execution  as  any.'  Among  the 
natives  of  Newbury,  who  were  engaged  in  that  memorable  siege, 
was  the  reverend  Samuel  Moody,  of  York,  who  went  as  chaplain, 
and  so  confident  was  he  of  success,  that  he  took  with  him  a  hatchet, 
to  cut  the  images  in  the  catholic  churches.  Moses  Coffin,  afterward 
of  Epping,  was  also  there,  and  officiated  in  the  double  capacity  of 
drummer  and  chaplain,  a  *  drum-ecclesiastic.'  On  returning  to  the 
camp  after  one  engagement,  he  found  a  bullet  had  passed  nearly 
through  a  small  pocket  bible,  which  he  always  carried  with  him, 
and  which  in  this  case  was  the  means  of  saving  his  life.  This 
incident  I  give  on  the  authority  of  the  honorable  William  Plumer, 
senior,  of  Epping,  New  Hampshire. 

November  10th.  Reverend  John  Tucker  was  settled  as  colleague 
with  the  reverend  doctor  Toppan.  Of  the  difficulties  which 
preceded,  attended,  and  followed  his  settlement,  something  will  be 
said  hereafter. 

The  difficulties  still  continuing,  and  rather  increasing,  in  the  first 
church  and  parish,  between  the  reverend  Mr.  Toppan  and  his 
people,  notwithstanding  all  the  attempts  that  had  been  made  to 
satisfy  both  parties,  the  parish  voted,  May  eleventh,  to  concur  with 
the  church  in  setting  '  apart  a  day  to  be  kept  by  solemn  prayer  and 
fasting  to  seek  to  heaven  for  a  blessing  on  our  endeavours  in  calling 
a  pious  and  orthodox  man  to  assist  in  the  ministry.' 


216  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

1  July  16th.  Mr.  John  Tucker  was  called  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry  by  the  first  church  and  parish  in  Newbury,'  which,  after 
long  and  anxious  deliberation,  he  accepted,  and  was  ordained  No- 
vember twentieth.  This,  however,  was  not  effected  without  great 
opposition,  the  majority  in  the  parish  in  his  favor  being  twelve,  and 
that  in  the  church  being  two.  The  minority  sent  in  to  the  ordaining 
council,  a  long  but  unavailing  protest  against  his  ordination.  On 
December  twentieth,  they  sent  a  letter  to  the  first  church,  which 
concludes  in  these  words. 

1  Wherefore  brethren  on  these  considerations,  for  the  peace  of  our  consciences, 
our  spiritual  edification  and  the  honor  and  interest  of  religion  as  we  think,  we 
do  now  withdraw  communion  from  you  and  shall  look  upon  ourselves  no  longer 
subjected  to  your  watch  and  discipline,  but  shall,  agreeable  to  ye  advice  given 
us,  speedily  as  we  may,  seek  us  a  pastor,  who  is  likely  to  feed  us  with  knowl- 
edge and  understanding  and  in  whom  we  can  with  more  reason  confide. 

1  And  now  brethren  that  the  God  of  a  full  light  and  truth  would  lead  both  you 
and  us  into  the  knowledge  of  all  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  is  and  shall  be  the  desire 
and  prayer  of  your  brethren,  and  so  forth. 

CHARLES  PIERCE,  and  twenty-two  others. 

Difficulties  somewhat  similar  also  occurred  in  the  church  and 
parish  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  reverend  John  Lowell,  which 
resulted  in  the  withdrawal  of  '  a  considerable  number  of  persons ' 
from  the  society.  This  induced  the  church,  on  May  first,  1743,  to 
vote  '  to  keep  the  eleventh  of  May  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer 
upon  this  sad  occasion.'  ^  From  their  church  records  I  extract  the 
following. 

4  May  eleventh,  1743,  was  observed  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer 
in  pursuance  of  the  vote  above.  The  same  day  the  separatists  held 
a  public  assembly  in  Mr.  John  Brown's  bam  in  Mr.  Toppan's  parish 
at  which  deacon  Beck  was  present.' 

The  barn  here  mentioned,  stood  in  the  field  nearly  opposite  to 
Mr.  Silas  Noyes's  house.  Long  and  able  letters  to  and  from  the 
reverend  John  Lowell,  of  the  following  dates,  October  thirty-first, 
November  first,  November  fourth,  December  sixteenth,  1743,  and 
January  third,  1744,  are  now  on  file  among  the  state  records,  Boston. 


1746. 

January  3d.  This  day,  nineteen  of  the  persons,  who,  on  the 
twentieth  of  the  last  month,  had  formally  withdrawn  from  the  first 
church,  formed  the  presbyterian  church.  In  their  petition  to  the 
general  court,  are  these  words  : 

'  After  this  on  the  third  of  January  1746  we  embodyed  into  a 
church  and  entered  into  a  covenant,  whereof  we  gave  the  church 
notice  by  letter  under  our  hands  of  the  twenty-second  of  the  same 
month  and  then  proceeded  to  give  the  reverend  Mr.  Jonathan  Par- 
sons a  call  to  the  ministerial  office,'  and  so  forth. 

*  Third  church  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  217 


March  28th.  The  separate  brethren,  thirty-eight  in  number,  who 
had  for  nearly  three  years  withdrawn  from  the  communion  of  the 
third  church, "petitioned  for  a  dismission  and  recommendation  to  the 
presbyterian  church.  This  the  church  refused  to  grant.  On  April 
sixth,  a  committee  of  the  *  separatists '  sent  a  petition  to  the  church, 
commencing  thus,  '  reverend  and  beloved  in  those  points  of  Chris- 
tianity wherein  we  can  agree,'  desiring  the  church  to  favor  them  with 
*  the  reasons  for  not  granting  their  request.'  *  This  was  of  no 
avail,  and  they  were  finally  admitted  to  the  new  church  without  a 
recommendation. 

The  following  is  the  covenant  of  the  presbyterian  church. 

1  We  the  subscribing  brethren,  who  were  members  of  the  first  church  in 
Newbury,  and  have  thought  it  our  duty  to  withdraw  therefrom,  do  also  look 
upon  it  our  duty  to  enter  into  a  church  estate  ;  specially  as  we  apprehend  this 
may  be  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  interest  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom>  as 
well  as  for  our  own  mutual  edification  and  comfort. 

'  We  do  therefore,  as  we  trust,  in  the  fear  of  God,  mutually  covenant  and  agree 
to  walk  together  as  a  church  of  Christ  according  to  the  rules  and  order  of  the 
gospel. 

'  In  testimony  whereof  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  and  seals  this  third 
day  of  January.  1746. 

CHARLES  PIERCE,  THOMAS  PIKE, 

MOSES  BRADSTREET,  DANIEL  WELLS, 

EDWARD  PRESBURY,  JOSEPH  HIDDEN. 

JOHN  BROWN,  NATHANIEL  ATKINSON, junior, 

RICHARD  HALL,  JONATHAN   PLUMMER, 

BENJAMIN   KNIGHT,  DANIEL  GOODWIN, 

WILLIAM  BROWN,  SILVANUS  PLUMER, 

BENJAMIN  PIERCE,  SAMUEL  HALL, 

DANIEL  NOTES,  CUTTING  PETTINGELL.' 

MAJOR  GOOD w IN, 

January  l^th.  The  parish  of  Byfield  voted  to  build  a  new 
meeting-house,  fifty-six  feet  long  and  forty-five  feet  wide,  which 
was  completed  the  next  summer. 

March  6th.  First  parish  voted  five  hundred  pounds,  old  tenor,  to 
reverend  John  Tucker,  to  build  a  house. 

1  August  2d,  just  before  sunrise,  there  was  a  considerable  loud 
and  long  earthquake.'  f 

4  August  21st  and  22d,  there  was  a  heavy  frost.'  f 

September  Wth.  A  fleet  of  nearly  forty  ships  of  war,  besides 
transports,  bringing  between  three  and  four  thousand  troops,  with 
veteran  officers,  and  all  kinds  of  military  stores,  under  the  command 
of  the  duke  d'Anville,  arrived  from  France,  in  order  to  retake 
Louisburg.  This  attempt,  however,  in  consequence  of  a  violent 
storm,  on  September  first,  and  a  variety  of  remarkable  incidents, 
was  rendered  entirely  abortive,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  people  of 
New  England. 

'  October  17th.  Friday  about  nine  A.  M.  it  began  to  snow  and 
continued  snowing  until  three  P.  M.  the  next  day.  I  and  my  wife 
went  to  church  in  the  sleigh  and  it  was  very  good  sleighing,  the 
snow  being  two  feet  upon  the  level  and  lasted  four  days.'  f 

*  Third  church  records.  f  M.  Plant. 

28 


218  HISTORY    OF    NEWBUlir. 


1747- 

'January  6th,  about  midnight  there  was  an  earthquake.'  =& 

'  February  6th.     Three  deer  went  through  Stephen  Morse's  land 

in  the  west  parish  of  Newbury  and  disappeared  in  Amesbury.'  f 
'  December  3d,  at  half  past  four  P.  M.  and  on  December  sixth  at 

four  P.  M.  there  was  an  earthquake.  ^ 


1748. 

March  8th.  The  town  granted  to  John  Crocker,  on  his  petition, 
liberty  to  erect  a  rope  walk  '  along  by  the  windmill  and  to  improve 
said  place  for  ten  years  for  making  of  ropes  and  for  no  other  use.'  J 

NOTE.  The  wind  mill  stood  near  where  the  south  brick  school  house  now  stands 
by  Frog  pond,  and  was  erected  in  1703.  This  rope  walk  was  probably  the  first  which 
was  established  in  Newbury,  and  stood  on  the  margin  of  the  pond. 

<  March  11th,  about  a  quarter  before  seven  A.  M.  there  was  an 
earthquake.'  ^ 

This  year  no  rain  fell  from  the  last  of  May  till  August  first. 

October  7th.  Peace  was  established  between  England  and 
France,  at  Aix  la  Chapelle.  By  this  treaty,  Louisburg  was  restored 
to  the  French. 

November  5th.  Charles  Pierce  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
others,  petitioned  the  general  court  to  be  freed  from  paying  taxes  to 
the  first  and  third  parishes. 

November  Wth.  Governor  Shirley,  having  received  the  petition, 
says,  among  other  things,  '  I  am  always  averse  to  any  thing  grievous 
upon  any  people  on  account  of  their  religious  sentiments.  I  desire 
you  would  once  take  this  repeated  application  of  the  petitioners  into 
your  serious  consideration.'  The  petition  was  not  granted. 


1749. 

March  ^th.     Mr.  Joseph  Coffin  was  chosen  town  clerk. 

June  1st.  One  hundred  and  seventy-nine  persons  belonging  to 
Mr.  Parsons's  society,  petitioned  the  general  court  to  be  freed  from 
paying  taxes  to  the  first  and  third  parishes.  August  eleventh,  hav- 
ing heard  the  answers  of  the  first  and  third  parishes,  they  dismissed 
the  petition  nem.  con. 

This  summer  there  was  a  very  severe  drought.  This,  attended 
as  it  was  with  swarms  of  caterpillars,  and  other  devouring  insects, 
caused  great  distress  in  New  England.  '  Many  brooks  and  springs 
were  dried  up.'  Not  more  than  a  tenth  of  the  usual  crop  of  hay 
was  cut,  and  much  was  imported  from  Pennsylvania  and  England. 
4 1  mowed,'  says  Richard  Kelly,  '  several  days  and  could  not  cut 

*  M.  Plant.  t  S.  Morse's  manuscripts.  J  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  219 

more  than  two  hundred  pounds  a  day,  and  people  were  fain  to  kill 
abundance  of  cattle  because  they  could  not  get  hay  to  winter  them.' 

October  29th.  Reverend  Thomas  Barnard  resigned  his  pastoral 
office,  in  the  second  church  and  parish. 

The  winter  of  1749-50  was  a  very  severe  one.  Cattle  had  to  be 
browsed  in  the  woods. 

1750. 

^ 

January  13th.  Town  authorized  Daniel  Farnham,  esquire,  to 
prefer  a  petition  to  the  general  court,  for  a  lottery,  to  build  a  bridge 
over  the  river  Parker.'  3k 

April  1st.  Province  bills,  first  issued  in  1702,  ceased  to  pass. 
This  currency  was  called  '  old  tenor.'  In  1748,  there  were  three 
kinds  of  bills  :  old  tenor,  which  passed  at  seven  and  a  hah0  for  one ; 
that,  is,  seven  shillings  and  sixpence  in  bills,  was  equal  to  one 
shilling  lawful ;  middle,  or  three  fold  tenor,  and  new  tenor.  The 
redemption  of  the  old  tenor  bills,  occasioned  the  celebrated  Joseph 
Greene  to  write  a  poem,  entitled,  <  a  mournful  lamentation  for  the 
sad  and  deplorable  death  of  Mr.  Old  Tenor,  a  native  of  New  Eng- 
land, who  after  a  long  confinement  by  a  deep  and  mortal  wound, 
which  he  received  about  twelve  months  before,  expired  on  the  thir- 
ty-first of  March  1750.' 

i  The  winter  of  1750-51  was  remarkably  mild.' 

May  20th.  '  The  third  church  voted  nemine  contradicente  that 
the  scriptures  be  read  in  publick  the  Lord's  day.'  f 


1751. 

February  2Qth.  Reverend  Moses  Hale  ordained  pastor  of  the 
second  church  and  parish. 

March  12th.  Several  citizens  of  the  town  petitioned,  that '  several 
ways  and  landing  places  might  be  confirmed  to  the  town.'  This 
the  proprietors'  committee  opposed,  declaring  that  the  town  had  no 
power  to  act  in  the  affair.  Here  commenced  a  contest  between  the 
town  and  the  proprietors,  which  was  finally  settled  in  favor  of  the 
latter,  in  1826. 

March  22d,  1751.  Third  parish  t  voted  to  choose  one  or  more 
parsons  to  take  care  of  the  boyes  that  plays  at  meeting.'  J 

'  1745,  October  28th.  Epliraim  Lunt  was  chosen,'  in  the  first 
parish,  '  to  set  in  the  gallery  to  and  take  special  care  that  ye  boys  do 
not  play  in  service  time  and  correct  those  boys  that  do  not  give  due 
attention,'  and  so  forth. 

1752. 

'  March  27th.  Town  voted  to  build  for  the  use  of  the  town  a 
house  near  the  upper  end  of  Plum  island.'  * 

*  Town  records.  f  Church  records.  J  Third  parish  records. 


220  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

Tliis  winter  was  a  very  cold  one. 

This  year  the  British  parliament  made  an  alteration  in  the  style. 
From  '  Job  Shepherd's  almanack,'  published  in  Newport,  by  James 
Franklin,  I  make  the  following  extract. 

'  Kind  reader, 

1  You  have  now  such  a  year  as  you  never  saw  before,  nor  ever  will  see  here- 
after. The  king  and  parliament  have  thought  proper  to  enact  that  the  month  of 
September  1752  shall  contain  but  nineteen  days  so  that  we  are  not  to  have  two 
beginnings  to  our  years,  but  the  first  of  January  is  to  be  the  first  day  and  first 
month  of  the  year  1752.  Eleven  days  are  taken  from  September  and  begin  one 
Tuesday,  two  Wednesday  and  fourteen  Thursday.  Be  not  much  astonished, 
nor  look 'with  concern,  dear  reader,  at  such  a  deduction  of  days,  nor  regret  as 
for  the  loss  of  so  much  time,  but  take  this  for  your  consolation  that  your 
expences  will  appear  lighter  and  your  mind  be  more  at  ease.  And  what  an 
indulgence  is  here  for  those,  who  love  their  pillows,  to  lie  down  in  peace  on  the 
second  of  this  month  and  not  perhaps  a\vake,  or  be  disturbed  till  the  fourteenth 
in  the  morning.  Now,  reader,  since  't  is  likely  you  may  never  have  such  another 
year,  nor  such  another  almanack,  I  would  advise  you  to  improve  the  one  for 
your  own  sake,  and  recommend  the  other  for  the  sake  of  your  friend, 

POOR  JOB.' 

c  May  26th.  Proprietors  lease  to  Jonathan  Pearson  for  twelve 
years  all  the  stream  of  water  from  Rowley  line  to  Peter  Cheney's 
grant,  (which  was  made  fifteenth  February  1687)  on  condition  he 
would  grind  for  Newbury  before  he  would  for  other  towns.' 

1  May  7th,  1752.  The  members  of  the  second  church  in 
Newbury  met  to  deal  with  our  brother  Richard  Bartlet  for  the 
following  reasons. 

'First,  our  said  brother  refuses  communion  with  the  church  for 
no  other  reason  but  because  the  pastor  wears  a  wigg,  and  because 
the  church  justifies  him  in  it,  setting  up  his  own  opinion  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  church,  contrary  to  that  humility,  which  becomes  a 
Christian. 

4  Second,  and  farther  in  an  unchristian  manner  he  censures  and 
condemns  both  pastor  and  church  as  anti-christian  on  the  aforesaid 
account  and  he  sticks  not  from  time  to  time  to  assert  with  the  great- 
est assurance  that  all  who  wear  wiggs,  unless  they  repent  of  that 
particular  sin  before  they  die  will  certainly  be  damned,  which  we 
judge  to  be  a  piece  of  uncharitable  and  sinful  rashness.' 

This  opposition  to  wigs  was  not  peculiar  to  Mr.  Bartlet,  though 
he  was  probably  one  of  the  last,  who  took  so  decided  a  stand 
against  that  article  of  dress.  From  their  first  introduction  in  New 
England,  till  the  tyranny  of  fashion  had  sanctioned  their  almost  uni- 
versal use,  the  wearing  of  wigs  had  been  violently  opposed  by  our 
fathers,  who  considered  the  manner  of  wearing  the  hair,  as  a  subject 
of  grave  and  serious  consequerice.  In  many  places  in  judge  Sewall's 
diary,  he  alludes  to  this  subject.  I  make  a  few  extracts. 

1 1685,  September  15th.  Three  admitted  to  the  church,  two  wore 
periwigs.' 

1  '1696.  k  Mr.  Sims  told  me  of  the  assaults  he  had  made  on  peri- 
wigs, seemed  to  be  in  good  sober  sadness.' 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  221 

'  1697.  Mr.  Noyes  of  Salem  wrote  a  treatise  on  periwigs,'  and 
so  forth. 

i  1704.  January.  Walley  appears  in  his  wig  having  cut  off  his 
own  hair.' 

4 1708,  August  20th.  Mr.  Cheever  died.  The  welfare  of  the 
province  was  much  upon  his  heart.  He  abominated  periwigs? 

The  venerable  John  Elliot,  the  apostle  to  the  Indians,  believed 
lhat  the  sufferings  endured  by  the  people  of  Massachusetts  in  Phil- 
ip's war,  were  inflicted  on  them  as  a  judgment  from  heaven  for 
wearing  wigs ! 

Even  the  members  of  the  society  of  friends,  were  troubled  with 
the  wig  question.  From  the  minutes  of  the  monthly  meeting,  I 
make  the  following  extracts. 

'1721,  November  16£A.  At  this  meeting  we  received  an  account 
from  ye  quarterly  meeting,  in  which  we  are  desired  to  consider  the 
wearing  of  wiarges  and  give  in  our  judgment  at  the  next  quarterly 
meeting  to  be  held  at  Salem.' 

'1721,  December  2lst.  Hampton.  The  matter  above  mentioned 
consarning  ye  wearing  of  wigges  was  discoursed  and  it  was  con- 
cluded by  this  meeting  yt  ye  wearing  of  extravegent  super/lues 
wigges  is  altogether  contrary  to  truth? 


1753. 

'  March  13/A.  Town  granted  the  petition  of  Nathan  Hale  and 
others  about  a  fire  engine.' 

1  May  23d.  Town  granted  liberty  to  Samuel  Titcomb  and  John 
Harris  t6  build  a  substantial  engine  to  weigh  hay  to  stand  where 
the  old  engine  stood,  near  the  head  of  Fish  street.' 


1754. 

'  March  12th.  Town  voted  to  build  a  powder  house.' 
'  September  19^.  The  town  taking  into  consideration  the  bill 
entitled  an  act  for  granting  to  his  majesty  an  excise  upon  wines 
and  spirits  distilled  and  sold  by  retail  or  consumed  in  this  province, 
voted  that  they  are  of  opinion  that  that  part  of  said  bill,  which 
relates  to  the  consumption  of  distilled  spirits  in  private  families 
(which  was  referred  to  the  consideration  of  the  towns)  is  an  infringe- 
ment on  the  natural  rights  of  Englishmen  and  ought  not  to  pass 
into  a  law,'  and  so  forth. 


1755. 

1  January  21  st.  Town  voted,  first,  that  the  town  will  act  on  an 
act  lately  made  relating  to  an  excise  on  the  private  consumption  of 
distilled  spirits,  wines,  lemons,  limes  and  oranges. 


222  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

'  Second,  voted  that  the  petitioners  namely  captain  Michael  Dai- 
ton  and  others  and  any  other  gentlemen,  who  are  willing  to  join 
them  should  on  their  own  cost  and  charge  apply  home  in  order  to 
prevent  said  acts  obtaining  the  royal  assent.' 

'May  22d.  Reverend  John  Lowell  preached  a  sermon  from 
Deuteronomy  20 :  4  at  Newbury  at  the  desire  and  in  the  audience 
of  colonel  Moses  Titcomb  and  many  others  enlisted  with  him  in 
an  expedition  against  the  French,'  at  Crown  point,  where  he  was 
slain,  September  eighth.  '  In  the  battle  of  lake  George  he  com- 
manded his  regiment  on  the  extreme  right  wing  of  general  John- 
son's line.  He  got  behind  a  large  pine  tree  about  one  rod  distant 
from  the  end  of  the  breast  work,  where  he  could  stand  up  and 
command  his  men,  who  were  lying  flat  on  the  ground,  and  where 
he  could  have  a  better  opportunity  to  use  his  own  piece.  Here  he 
was  insensibly  flanked  by  a  party  of  Indians,  who  crept  around  a 
large  pine  log,  across  a  swamp  about  eighty  yards  distant,  and  shot 
him.  Colonel  Titcomb  and  lieutenant  Baron  stood  behind  the 
same  tree  and  both  fell  at  the  same  fire.  This  was  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  Monday  the  eighth  of  September  1755.' 

The  preceding  particulars  I  give  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  Henry 
Stevens,  junior.  In  the  preface  to  a  funeral  sermon  preached  on 
the  occasion,  by  the  reverend  John  Lowell,  from  Joshua  1:2,  he 
says,  '  being  more  especially  called  to  take  notice  of  colonel  Tit- 
comb's  death,  and  in  a  religious  way  publicldy  to  improve  it,  as  he 
was  one  of  the  church  under  my  pastoral  care,  and  his  family  and 
relations  are  with  us :  and  as  many  had  their  friends  gone  from  my 
parish  under  him,  the  following  sermon  in  the  height  of  our  pas- 
sionate resentment  of  the  affecting  providence,  I  hastily  composed 
and  preached  immediately  after  the  news  of  it;  as  what  I  then 
thought  seasonable.' 

By  a  census  taken  this  year,  Newbury  had  fifty  slaves,  negroes, 
and  Indians ;  thirty-four  males,  and  sixteen  females. 

November  1st.  A  great  and  destructive  earthquake  destroyed 
Lisbon. 

i  November  ISth,  about  four  o'clock  A.  M.  was  the  most  violent 
earthquake  ever  known  in  North  America.  It  continued  about 
four  and  a  half  minutes.  In  Boston,  about  one  hundred  chimneys 
were  leveled  with  the  roofs  of  the  houses  and  about  fifteen  hundred, 
shattered  and  thrown  down  in  part.  There  was  a  shock  every  day 
till  the  twenty-second.' 

4  December  19th.    There  were  two  or  three  shocks  about  ten  P.  M.'  %• 


1756- 

1  March  llth.     About  three  P.  M.  a  small  shock  of  earthquake.' 
April  16th.     A  great  gale  of  wind  commenced,  which  lasted 
three  and  a  half  days.     Sixteen  vessels  were  lost.  | 

#  Richard  Kelly.  t  Caleb  Greenleaf  s  almanacs. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  223 

I 

From  May  eighteenth  till  June  nineteenth  there  was  no  rain. 

The  meeting-house  now  standing  in  Federal  street  was  this  year 
erected.  From  almanacs\  kept  by  Mr.  Caleb  Greenleaf,  I  make 
the  following  extracts. 

'  July  5th.  We  began  to  raise  our  meeting  house  and  finished  it 
the  seventh,  and  not  one  oath  heard  and  nobody  hurt.'  The  house 
is  one  hundred  feet  long,  by  sixty  broad. 

1  On  the  seventh  the  reverend  John  Morehead  of  Boston  preached 
the  first  sermon  in  it  from  2  Chronicles  7 :  12.  The  first  sermon 
preached  in  our  new  meeting  house  was  on  August  fifteenth.  The 
text  was  the  whole  of  the  one  hundred  and  twenty-second  psalm.' 

'  August  19th  and  2Qth,  we  pulled  down  our  old  meeting  house.' 

This  house,  as  has  been  observed,  stood  on  the  easterly  side  of 
High,  formerly  Norfolk  street,  a  few  rods  south  of  Federal  street. 
From  a  letter  to  doctor  Bearcroft,  written  February  fifteenth,  1743, 
by  the  reverend  M.  Plant,  it  appears  that  it  was  erected  in  1742. 
He  says,  '  since  my  last  of  July  twenty-third  1742  a  new  house  was 
built  by  the  people  called  the  new  schemers  and  their  dissenting 
teacher  received  fifty-three  into  their  communion  in  one  day  of 
those,  who  are  of  their  way  of  thinking.'  The  'dissenting  teacher' 
above  mentioned,  was  the  reverend  Joseph  Adams,  who  was  after- 
ward settled  in  Newington,  New  Hampshire. 

October  2d.  The  number  of  quakers  in  Newbury,  was,  at  this 
time,  twenty-five  men.^ 

'  November  16tfA,  at  ten  minutes  before  four  A.  M.  there  was  an 
earthquake.'  A  remarkably  open  winter,  f 

1757. 

January  13^/i.  The  town  granted  the  petition  of  four  persons,  to 
build  a  grist  and  saw  mill  at  Pine  island. 

'  July  8th,  at  twenty  minutes  past  two  P.  M.  there  was  a  small 
earthquake.' 

1758. 

This  year,  another  difficulty  occurred  in  the  second  parish.  As 
the  meeting-house,  in  consequence  of  the  setting  off  of  the  fourth 
parish,  in  1729,  was  no  longer  in  a  central  place,  and  was  very 
much  dilapidated,  the  parish  had  voted,  November  thirtieth,  1756, 
to  rebuild  it  at  the  l  southerly  end '  of  Hanover  street.  In  February 
and  June,  nineteen  persons  petitioned  the  general  court  to  be  set  off 
from  the  second  to  the  fourth  parish,  '  on  account  of  distance,  bad- 
ness of  the  road,  badness  of  the  meeting  house,  and  on  account  of 
a  vote  to  remove  the  meeting  house  half  a  mile  farther  east.'  They 
conclude  a  long  petition  in  the  following  figurative  strain. 

'  Thus  your  excellency  and  honors  may  justly  see  that  we  are  afloat  in  an 
ocean  of  difficulty,  and  must  unavoidably  without  your  excellency  and  honor's 

*  Robert  Adams's  manuscripts.  f  Reverend  Peter  .Coffin's  almanacs. 


224  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

interposition  be  wafted  from  our  much,  desired  church  and  congregation  into 
the  bosom  of  our  mother  church,  into  which  nothing  but  a  long  and  tedious 
quarrel,  a  shattered,  doleful  and  uncomfortable  house  to  worship  our  divine 
master  in,  together  with  a  total  despair  of  being  extricated  out  of  our  misery, 
would  bring  us.' 

May  23d.  A  committee  was  chosen  by  the  town,  Mo  sell  the 
town's  part  of  the  prison  house  and  land  in  Newbury,  and  to  buy 
or  build  a  convenient  house  for  the  poor.' 

The  successes  of  the  French,  down  to  nearly  the  close  of  1757, 
had  very  much  depressed  and  dispirited  the  colonies;  but  they 
soon  began  to  feel  the  effect  of  the  energetic  measures  of  the  im- 
mortal Pitt,  who,  in  the  autumn  of  1757,  became  prime  minister  of 
Great  Britain,  the  success  or  defeat  of  whose  arms,  especially  in 
North  America,  excited  the  deepest  interest.  July  twenty-sixth, 
Louisburg  was  taken.  August  twenty-seventh,  fort  Frontenac 
surrendered,  and,  on  November  twenty-fifth,  fort  Du  Quesne,  after- 
ward called  fort  Pitt,  now  Pittsburg,  was  wrested  from  the  French. 
In  all  these  engagements,  the  New  England  people  contributed  their 
full  proportion ;  New  Hampshire,  Connecticut,  and  Massachusetts 
furnishing  fifteen  thousand  troops,  of  whom  a  large  proportion  went 
from  Newbury. 

September  14th.  There  was  a  public  thanksgiving,  on  account 
of  the  reduction  of  cape  Breton. 

The  bridge  over  the  river  Parker  was  erected  this  year. 


1759. 

This  year,  the  British  arms  were  triumphant  in  all  their  engage- 
ments in  North  America.  July  twenty-fourth,  Niagara  was  taken, 
and  on  the  twenty-seventh,  Ticonderoga,  and  when  the  news  arrived 
in  Massachusetts,  that,  on  September  thirteenth,  the  army  under 
general  Wolfe  was  victorious,  on  the  plains  of  Abraham,  and  that, 
on  the  eighteenth  of  the  same  month,  Quebec  had  surrendered,  the 
joy  and  enthusiasm  of  the  people  seemed  to  know  no  bounds. 

The  citizens  of  Newbury  had  a  day  of  rejoicing.  An  ox  was 
split  and  broiled  on  a  huge  gridiron,  at  the  west  end  of  the  reverend 
Mr.  Lowell's  meeting-house.  Songs,  commemorative  of  the  victo- 
ries of  this  year,  were  everywhere  sung.  Every  stanza  of  one 
of  the  songs,  ended  with  the  words,  'the  year  fifty-nine.  So,  dea- 
con Benjamin  Colman,  aged  ninety-two,  now  living,  [December 
twenty-third,  1844,]  informs  me,  who  saw  the  ox  broiled,  and  re- 
members the  following  lines  of  the  song,  which  was  then  sung. 

'  De  la  C —  had  a  squadron  so  nimble  and  light, 
On  meeting  Boscawen  like  a  Frenchman  took  fright ; 
But  running  too  fast  on  some  mighty  design, 
He  lost  both  his  legs  in  the  year  fifty-nine. 

'  With  true  British  valour  we  broke  every  line, 
And  conquered  Quebec  in  the  year  fifty-nine.' 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  225 

March  13th.  The  town  granted  the  petition  of  James  Knight 
and  nine  others,  'to  erect  another  engine  to  weigh  hay  near  the  head 
of  Muzzey's  lane/  now  Marlborough  street. 

May  25th.  The  second  parish  commenced  tearing  down  their 
old  meeting-house,  and  this  year  raised  their  new  meeting-house, 
which  was  fifty-four  feet  long  and  forty-four  broad. 

June  28th.  i  A  public  fast  on  account  of  the  expedition  to 
Canada/ 

July  8th.     '  At  a  quarter  past  two  there  was  an  earthquake.' 

August.  The  houses  of  Anthony  Gwynn  and  Mr.  Somerby,  of 
Newbury,  and  Mr.  Greenleaf,  of  Newbury  new  town,  were  struck 
with  lightning. 

September  10th.  i  Mr.  Samuel  Pettingell  fell  from  the  steeple  of 
the  reverend  Mr.  Parson's  meeting  house,  (which  was  this  year 
erected)  and  was  killed  instantly.'  ^ 

October  25th.  '  Public  thanksgiving  on  account  of  the  surrender 
of  Quebec.' 

In  November  of  this  year,  the  small-pox  made  its  appearance  on 
<  the  plains,'  so  called,  and  was  for  some  time  called  the  eruptive 
fever. 

Some  time  this  year,  Mr.  Enoch  Noyes,  a  self-taught  mechanic, 
commenced,  without  instruction,  making  horn  buttons  and  coarse 
combs,  of  various  kinds,  and  continued  the  business  till  1778,  when 
he  employed  William  Cleland,  a  deserter  from  Burgoyne's  army, 
a  comb-maker  by  profession,  and  a  skillful  workman.  This  was 
the  commencement  of  the  comb-making  business  in  Newbury,  and 
various  other  places. 

1760- 

'  February  3d,  at  three  o'clock  A.  M.  there  was  an  earthquake  at 
Newbury.' 

May  20th.  The  town  acted  on  the  petition  of  doctor  Nathan 
Hale,  and  others,  and  voted  that  they  would  not  repair  or  remove 
the  town  house,  and,  on  May  twenty-sixth,  i  voted  not  to  build  a 
new  town  house.' 

Pine  island  grist  and  saw  mill  erected  this  year. 

May  2lst.  Twenty-two  members  of  the  '  old  church,'  namely, 
queen  Ann's  chapel,  in  consequence  of  the  discontinuance  of  pub- 
lic worship  in  that  building  three  sabbaths  in  every  month,  united 
with  several  others,  in  an  agreement  to  build  a  new  meeting-house, 
and  again  become  congregationalists,  for  the  same  reason  that  some 
of  their  ancestors  became  episcopalians,  namely,  distance  from  the 
meeting-house,  and  petitioned  the  general  court  to  form  a  new  parish. 

In  July,  the  small-pox  ceased  in  Newbury.  During  its  continu- 
ance, the  selectmen  fenced  in  the  infected  district,  from  the  school- 
house  to  Emery's  hill,  and  sent  to  Boston  for  physicians  and  nurses, 

*  Mr.  Caleb  Greenleaf 's  almanacs. 

29 


226  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

who,  as  the  custom  then  was,  greatly  aggravated  the  disease,  by 
shutting  up  the  sick  in  small  and  heated  rooms.  About  eighty  per- 
sons had  the  disorder,  of  whom  thirty-six,  all  adults  but  two,  died. 

September  8th.  Montreal  was  taken  by  the  English,  as  also 
Detroit  and  Mackinaw. 

October  29th.  There  was  a  '  public  thanksgiving  on  account  of 
the  entire  reduction  of  Canada.' 


176  1. 

February  6th.  Second  and  third  parishes  opposed  the  formation 
of  a  new  parish  at  '  the  plains.' 

March  10th.  '  Town  chose  a  committee  to  use  their  best  endeav- 
ours to  remove  the  inferior  court  held  in  Salem  to  Ipswich,  and  one 
of  the  other  courts  from  Ipswich  to  Newbury  inasmuch  as  they  pay 
a  greater  tax  to  the  province  charges  than  any  other  town  in  ye 
province  save  Boston.'  # 

March  IQth.  A  ferry  was  granted  from  Newbury  to  Salisbury, 
1  about  the  middle  of  Bartlet's  cove.' 

March  \2th,  at  twenty  minutes  past  two,  A.  M.,  there  was  an 
earthquake.  *  It  was  divided,'  says  one  writer,  '  into  two  shakes 
with  a  pause  between.' 

April  5th.  The  fifth  parish  was  incorporated.  The  parishioners 
having  held  a  meeting  in  queen  Ann's  chapel,  bishop  Bass  wrote 
their  committee  the  following  letter. 

'June  9^,1761. 
1  Gentlemen, 

'  I  am  informed  that  you  with  a  number  of  people  whose  committee  I  hear 
you  are,  broke  into  the  old  church  the  other  day.  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  find 
that  I  am  misinformed,  for  if  it  be  really  so  I  think  you  have  used  me  in  a  very 
uncivil  and  ungentlemanlike  manner,  and  without  any  provocation  and  not  a 
little  exposed  yourselves.  If  you  had  business  to  transact,  or  any  grave  matters 
to  talk  over  near  the  church  and  it  was  necessary  or  convenient  that  you  should 
go  into  the  church  for  that  purpose  I  do  n't  know  of  any  body  that  would  have 
been  against  it,  but  certainly  you  ought  to  have  done  it  in  an  orderly  manner 
by  asking  leave  of  me,  who  am  the  proper  guardian  of  that  church. 

EDWARD  BASS.' 

September  8th.  The  committee  addressed  the  members  of  the 
old  church,  '  and  after  stating  the  incorporation  of  the  parish,  and 
that  they  had  no  convenient  house  for  the  worship  of  God  at  pres- 
ent,' conclude  thus :  '  we  therefore  as  neighbours  and  friends  desire 
your  consent  to  improve  the  said  church  in  the  vacancy  of  Mr. 
Bass  not  attending  there  until  we  are  accommodated  with  a  new 
house.  We  are,'  and  so  forth. 

September  9th.  The  preceding  request  was  granted  by  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  '  old  church.' 

May.     A  fire  engine,  the  second  in  Newbury,  was  imported  from 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 


227 


\ 

IT?} 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  227 

London  this  month,  by  Michael  Dalton,  esquire,  and  others,^  and 
a  fire  company  of  twenty-four  men  formed. 

November  1st,  between  eight  and  nine  P.  M.  there  was  an  earth- 
quake. 

This  summer  there  was  a  great  drought. 


1762. 

March  2d.  A  committee  was  appointed  in  By  field  parish,  to 
appoint  a  grammar-school  master,  according  to  the  will  of  governor 
Dummer,  and  the  academy  was  erected. 

March.  The  county  appropriated  two  hundred  pounds,  toward 
defraying  the  expense  of  building  a  court  house,  '  for  the  use  of 
the  county  and  town,'  but  in  consequence  of  the  refusal  of  the 
town,  March  twenty-ninth,  to  unite  with  the  county,  in  the  erection 
of  such  a  building,  '  the  water  side  people '  generously  gave  the 
money  to  build  the  court  house,  purchased,  July  seventh,  eleven 
and  a  quarter  rods  of  land,  at  the  corner  of  Essex  street,  where  the 
museum  now  stands,  of  Joseph  Clement,  shipwright,  for  sixty- 
nine  pounds.  Said  building,  when  erected,  was  to  be  used  as  a 
court  and  town  house,  '  and  to  no  other  use,  intent  or  purpose 
whatsoever.'  It  was  built  this  year. 

'  July  2Sth.  There  was  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  on  account 
of  the  grievous  drought,'  and  on  August  twelfth,  a  day  of  thanks- 
giving, on  account  of  the  capture  of  Havana  by  the  English. 

This  summer,  the  church  in  connection  with  the  fifth  parish  was 
constituted,  and  the  reverend  Oliver  Noble  ordained  their  pastor, 
September  first. 

1763. 

February  27th,  Monday.  Dummer  academy  opened.  Mr.  Sam- 
uel Moody,  preceptor.  The  number  of  pupils  on  this  day  was 
twenty-eight,  of  whom,  one  only,  deacon  Benjamin  Colman,  born 
in  1752,  is  still  living.  Reverend  Moses  Parsons  preached  a  sermon 
on  the  occasion,  from  Isaiah,  32 :  8.  '  The  liberal  soul  deviseth 
liberal  things.' 

May  12th.  Town  l  voted  to  build  a  pest  house  in  the  great  pas- 
ture thirty-eight  feet  long  by  twenty -eight  wide  and  one  story  high/  # 

At  the  June  session  of  the  general  court,  two  hundred  and  six  of 
the  *  water  side  people,'  so  called,  sent  in  a  petition,  praying,  that, 
for  certain  reasons,  they  might  be  set  off  from  Newbury,  and 
incorporated  into  a  town  by  themselves.  In  this  petition,  signed, 
in  behalf  of  themselves  and  the  memorialists,  by  William  Atkins, 
Daniel  Farnham,  Michael  Dalton,  Thomas  Woodbridge,  and  Pa- 
trick Tracy,  they  enumerate  a  long  list  of  grievances,  as  reasons 

*  Town  records. 


228  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

why  their  request  should  be  granted.  The  substance  of  it  is,  that 
between  them,  'the  merchants,  traders,  and  mechanics,'  and  the 
husbandmen,  '  there  is  a  certain  jealousy  as  to  their  public  affairs 
and  a  high  spirit  of  opposition,'  and  so  forth.  They  complain  of 
*  the  want  of  schools  by  the  water  side,'  a  want  of  fire  engines,  that 
'they  are  unreasonably  taxed,'  that  'there  is  no  town  treasurer,' 
that '  they  do  not  have  their  due  proportion  of  the  selectmen,'  and, 
finally,  as  an  instance  of  the  prevailing  spirit  of  jealousy  and  oppo- 
sition, they  say,  that  '  the  town  has  not  met,  and  we  suppose  will 
not  meet,  in  the  new  court  house  lately  built  at  the  water  side  by 
the  county  and  the  people  there  —  and  that  it  is  a  sufficient  objection 
with  them  to  any  measure  proposed,  or  thing  done,  tho'  ever  so  just 
and  reasonable  in  its  nature,  that  ye  water  side  people  proposed,  or 
did  it.  Wherefore,'  and  so  forth. 

This  summer  there  was  a  severe  drought. 

October  20th.  •  '  The  town  voted  unanimously  three  only  ex- 
cepted,  that  they  were  opposed  to  the  division  of  the  town.  Also 
voted  to  build  a  house  for  the  grammar  school  at  or  near  the  head 
of  Fish  street,  and  to  build  a  small  house  behind  the  work  house 
to  keep  crazed  and  distracted  persons  in.' 

December  2d.  The  first  parish,  on  account  of  the  supposed 
weakness  of  the  turret  of  the  old  meeting-house,  took  down  the 
bell,  and  hung  it  in  a  bell-house  opposite  the  meeting-house.' 


1764. 

January  27th.  The  town  authorized  the  selectmen  '  to  provide  a 
suitable  gate  at.  old  town  bridge  and  at  Thorla's  bridge  and  employ 
one  man  to  keep  each  gate  and  also  to  fence  across  any  road  to 
prevent  any  person  infected  with  the  small  pox  coming  into  town/ 
and  '  that  no  vessel  shall  come  up  above  Hook's  point  till  an  exam- 
ination is  made.' 

NEWBURYPORT. 

January  28th*  That  part  of  Newbury  now  called  Newburyport, 
was  incorporated  as  a  separate  town.  The  act  of  incorporation 
^commences  thus. 

'  An  act  for  erecting  part  of  the  town  of  Newtmry  into  a  new  town  by  the 
name  of  Newburyport. 

'  Whereas  the  town  of  Newbury  is  very  large,  and  the  inhabitants  of  that 
part  of  it,  who  dwell  by  the  water  side  there,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  are 
mostly  merchants,  traders  and  artificers,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  other  part 
of  the  town  are  chiefly  husbandmen,  by  means  whereof  many  difficulties  and 
disputes  have  arisen  in  managing  their  public  affairs, 

Be  it  enacted,7  and  so  forth. 

Here  follows  a  description  of  the  boundary  lines  of  the  town, 
which  can  be  more  easily  understood  by  reference  to  the  map.  In 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  229 

regard  to  size,  it  is  the  smallest  town  in  the  commonwealth, 
containing  about  six  hundred  and  thirty  acres,  less  than  a  mile 
square.  Of  its  population,  business,  trade,  advantages,  and  so 
forth,  I  shall  speak  more  fully  hereafter.  I  shall  here  only  make 
one  quotation  from  that  inimitable  book,  written  by  the  late  Timo- 
thy Dexter,  entitled  '  a  pickle  for  the  knowing  ones.'  With  the 
exception  of  the  punctuation,  I  give  it  verbatim  and  literatim. 

<  fourder,  frinds.  I  will  tell  the  a  tipe  of  mankind,  what  is  that  ?  35  or  36 
years  agone  A  toun  called  Noubry,  all  won  the  Younited  states,  Noubry  peopel 
kept  together  quiet  till  the  Lamed  groued  strong,  the  farmers  was  12  out  of 
20.  thay  wanted  to  have  the  offesers  in  the  Contry,  the  Larned  in  the  see  port 
wanted  to  have  them  there,  geering  ARose,  groued  warme,  fite  thay  wood,  in 
Law  thay  went  trie  Jinrel  Cort  to  be  sot  of.  finely  thay  got  there  Eands  Ans- 
wered, the  see  port  caled  Newburyport,  600  Eakers  of  Land  out  of  30000  Ea- 
kers  of  good  land,  so  much  for  mad,  people  of  Laming  makes  them  mad.  if 
thay  had  kept  together  thay  wood  have  been  the  sekent  toun  in  this  state  about 
half  of  Boston.' 

Among  the  conditions  of  the  act  of  incorporation,  were  these : 
that  Newbury  should  hereafter  send  but  one  representative  to  the 
general  court,  and  Newburyport  one,  and  that  '  the  inhabitants  of 
Newburyport  shall  from  time  to  time  amend  and  repair  a  certain 
bridge  over  the  river  Artichoke  which  they  will  have  occasion  to 
pass  and  repass,  although  the  same  bridge  is  not  included  within 
the  limits  of  Newburyport.' 

March  15th.  The  c  committee  chosen  by  the  town  of  Newbury- 
port report  that  at  least  three  large  schools  should  be  provided  and 
maintained  in  said  town,'  and  conclude  by  saying :  ;  as  the  inhabi- 
tants have  now  the  long  desired  privilege  of  being  well  served  with 
schools,  and,  as  they  have  heretofore  been  liberal  in  supporting  pri- 
vate schools,  we  think  it  proper  that  the  public  schools  should  be 
honorably  supported.' 

To  the  suggestion  of  the  committee,  the  town  gave  a  hearty  re- 
sponse, and  from  that  time  to  the  present,  the  public  schools  have 
been  '  honorably  supported,'  and  it  is  believed  by  competent  judges, 
that  no  town  in  the  commonwealth  has  done  more  for  the  cause  of 
education,  in  proportion  to  its  means,  than  the  town  of  Newbury- 
port. In  the  language  of  Timothy  Dexter,  'the  larned  groued 
strong.' 

May  25th.  i  Newburyport  voted  to  petition  the  general  court  to 
have  their  limits  and  bounds  enlarged,'  and  also  voted,  two  hundred 
and  sixty-two  against  fifty-four, l  not  to  petition  to  be  reunited  to  the 
town  of  Newbury.' 

1765. 

On  March  twenty-second,  an  act,  passed  by  the  British  parliament, 
for  raising  a  revenue  by  a  general  stamp  duty  through  all  the 
American  colonies,  received  the  royal  assent,  and  was  to  take  effect 
November  first.  It  was  called  the  stamp  act,  was  everywhere 


230  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

disapproved,  and  in  many  places  met  with  great  opposition.  On 
August  twenty-sixth,  a  mob  entered  the  house  of  William  Story, 
deputy  register,  and  destroyed  the  records  and  files  of  the  admiralty 
court,  ransacked  the  house  of  Benjamin  Hallowell,  comptroller  of 
the  customs,  and  destroyed  the  house  of  lieutenant  governor  Hutch- 
inson,^  much  property,  and  many  valuable  books  and  papers. 

September  30th.  The  town  of  Newburyport  voted  that  '  the  late 
act  of  parliament  is  very  grievous,  and  that  this  town  as  much  as 
in  them  lies  endeavour  the  repeal  of  the  same  in  all  lawful  ways, 
and  that  it  is  the  desire  of  the  town  that  no  man  in  it  will  accept  of 
the  office  of  distributing  the  stampt  papers,  as  he  regards  the  dis- 
pleasure of  the  town  and  that  they  will  deem  the  person  accepting 
of  such  office  an  enemy  to  his  country.' 

October  2lst.  Each  of  the  towns,  'Newbury  and  Newburyport, 
on  this  day  held  a  town  meeting,  and  each  voted  to  give  instructions 
to  their  representative,  '  relating  to  his  acting  in  the  general  court.' 
The  instructions  given  to  Joseph  Gerrish,  representative  of  New- 
bury,  were  passed  unanimously,  and  ordered  to  be  kept  on  file,  but 
are  now  lost.  From  the  instructions  given  by  Newburyport  to 
their  representative,  Dudley  Atkins,  the  following  extracts  are  taken. 

1  After  adverting  to  the  right  of  the  people  to  instruct  their  representatives, 
and  remarking  upon  the  liberality  of  the  English  constitution,  the  instructions 
proceed : 

1  We  have  the  most  loyal  sentiments  of  our  gracious  king,  and  his  illustrious 
family ;  we  have  the  highest  reverence  and  esteem  for  that  most  angust  body, 
the  parliament  of  Great  Britain ;  and  we  have  an  ardent  affection  for  our  breth- 
ren at  home  j  we  have  always  regarded  their  interests  as  our  own,  and  esteemed 
our  own  prosperity  as  necessarily  united  with  theirs.  Hence  it  is  that  we  have 
the  greatest  concern  at  some  measures  adopted  by  the  late  ministry,  and  some 
late  acts  of  parliament,  which  we  apprehend  in  their  tendency  will  deprive  us 
of  some  of  our  essential  and  high-prized  liberties.  The  stamp-act,  in  a  pecu- 
liar manner,  we  esteem  a  grievance,  as  by  it  we  are  subjected  to  a  heavy  tax, 
to  which  are  annexed  very  severe  penalties ;  and  the  recovery  of  forfeitures, 
incurred  by  the  breach  of  it,  is  in  a  manner,  which  the  English  constitution 
abhors,  that  is,  without  a  trial  by  jury,  and  in  a  court  of  admiralty.  That  a 
people  should  be  taxed  at  the  will  of  another,  whether  of  one  man  or  many, 
without  their  own  consent,  in  person  or  by  representative,  is  rank  slavery. 

*  #  #  #  *  *  * 

'That  these  measures  are  contrary  to  the  constitutional  rights  of  Britons 
cannot  be  denied ;  and  that  the  British  inhabitants  of  America  are  not  in  every 
respect  entitled  to  the  privileges  of  Britons,  even  the  patrons  of  the  most  arbi- 
trary measures  have  never  yet  advanced. 

f  We  have  been  full  and  explicit  on  this  head,  as  it  seems  to  be  the  funda- 
mental -point  in  debate  j  but  was  the  tax  in  itself  ever  so  constitutional,  we 
cannot  think  but  at  this  time  it  would  be  very  grievous  and  burdensome. 

1  The  embarrassments  on  our  trade  are  great,  and  the  scarcity  of  cash  arising 
therefrom  is  such,  that  by  the  execution  of  the  stamp-act,  we  should  be  drained 
in  a  very  little  time  of  that  medium :  the  consequence  of  which  is,  that  our 
commerce  must  stagnate,  and  our  laborers  starve. 

'  These,  sir,  are  our  sentiments  on  this  occasion ;  nor  can  we  think  that  the 
distresses  we  have  painted  are  the  creatures  of  our  own  imagination. 


*  In  Boston. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  231 

'  We  therefore  the  freeholders  and  other  inhabitants  of  this  town,  being  legally 
assembled,  take  this  opportunity  to  declare  our  just  expectations  from  you, 
which  are, 

1  That  you  will,  to  the  utmost  of  your  ability,  use  your  influence  in  the  gene- 
ral assembly  that  the  rights  and  privileges  of  this  province  may  be  preserved 
inviolate ;  and  that  the  sacred  deposit,  we  have  received  from  our  ancestors, 
may  be  handed  down,  without  infringement,  to  our  posterity  of  the  latest 
generations : 

*  That  you  endeavor  that  all  measures,  consistent  with  our  loyalty  to  the  best 
of  kings,  may  be  taken  to  prevent  the  execution  of  the  above  grievous  innova- 
tions ;  and  that  the  repeal  of  the  stamp-act  may  be  obtained  by  a  most  dutiful, 
and  at  the  same  time  most  spirited,  remonstrance  against  it. 

'  That  you  do  not  consent  to  any  new  or  unprecedented  grants,  but  endeavor 
that  the  greatest  frugality  and  economy  may  take  place  in  the  distribution  of 
the  public  monies,  remembering  the  great  expense  the  war  has  involved  us  in, 
and  the  debt  incurred  thereby,  which  remains  undischarged. 

( That  you  will  consult  and  promote  such  measures,  as  may  be  necessary,  in 
this  difficult  time,  to  prevent  the  course  of  justice  from  being  stayed,  and  the 
commerce  of  the  province  standing  still : 

1  That  if  occasion  shall  offer,  you  bear  testimony  in  behalf  of  this  town  against 
all  seditions  and  mobbish  insurrections,  and  express  our  abhorrence  of  all 
breaches  of  the  peace  ;  and  that  you  will  readily  concur  in  any  constitutional 
measures^  that  may  be  necessary  to  secure  the  public  tranquillity.' 

The  stamp  distributors  were  everywhere  compelled  to  resign, 
and  in  many  places  they  were  hung  in  effigy.  In  Newburyport, 

the  effigy  of  a  Mr.  I B ,  who  had  accepted  the  office  of 

stamp  distributor,  was  suspended,  September  twenty-fifth  and 
twenty-sixth,  from  a  large  elm  tree  which  stood  in  Mr.  Jonathan 
Greenleaf 's  yard,  at  the  foot  of  King  street,  [now  Federal  street,]  a 
collection  of  tar  barrels  set  on  fire,  the  rope  cut,  and  the  image 
dropped  into  the  flames.  At  ten  o'clock,  P.  M.,  all  the  beDs  in 
town  were  rung.  *  I  am  sorry  to  see  that  substitute,'  said  a  distin- 
guished citizen  of  Newburyport,  1 1  wish  it  had  been  the  original/ 
Companies  of  men,  armed  with  clubs,  were  accustomed  to  parade 
the  streets  of  Newbury  and  Newburyport,  at  night,  and,  to  every 
man  they  met,  put  the  laconic  question,  '  stamp  or  no  stamp.'  The 
consequences  of  an  affirmative  reply,  were  any  thing  but  pleasant. 
In  one  instance,  a  stranger,  having  arrived  in  town,  was  seized  by 
the  mob,  at  the  foot  of  Green  street,  and,  not  knowing  what  answer 
to  make  to  the  question,  stood  mute.  As  the  mob  allow  no  neu- 
trals, and  as  silence  with  them  is  a  crime,  he  was  severely  beaten. 
The  same  question  was  put  to  another  stranger,  who  rephed,  with 
a  sagacity  worthy  of  a  vicar  of  Bray,  or  a  Talleyrand,  4 1  am  as 
you  are.'  He  was  immediately  cheered  and  applauded,  as  a  true 
son  of  liberty,  and  permitted  to  depart  in  peace,  wondering,  no 
doubt,  at  his  own  sudden  popularity. 

'  The  uneasiness,'  says  the  reverend  N.  Appleton,  <  in  all  the  col- 
onies was  universal.  All  as  one  man  rising  up  in  opposition  to  it, 
such  a  union,  as  was  never  before  witnessed  in  all  the  colonies,'  so 
that,  in  the  language  of  doctor  Holmes,  '  by  the  first  of  November, 
when  the  act  was  to  take  effect,  not  a  sheet  of  stamped  paper  was 
to  be  had  throughout  New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  two  Carolinas.' 


232  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

June  5th.     There  were  several  shocks  of  an  earthquake. 
December  ^th.     i  Great  numbers  of  wild  geese  were  caught  alive, 
many  were  shot,  or  killed  with  clubs,  and  many  were  found  dead.7 


1766. 

On  March  eighteenth,  the  stamp  act  was  repealed.  The  joy  of 
the  people,  on  hearing  the  intelligence,  was  as  great,  as  their  indig- 
nation had  been  at  its  passage.  The  twenty-fourth  of  July  was 
kept  as  a  day  of  public  thanksgiving,  on  account  of  its  repeal.  '  Our 
people,'  says  the  reverend  Thomas  Smith,  of  Portland, '  were  almost 
mad  with  drink  and  joy.  A  deluge  of  drunkenness.' 

May  20th.  A  town  meeting,  in  Newburyport,  was  called,  '  by 
beat  of  drum  and  word  of  mouth.'  The  upper  part  of  the  town 
house  was  ordered  to  be  illuminated,  at  the  town's  expense,  and  that 
'  the  selectmen  deliver  out  of  the  town's  stock  of  gunpowder  six 
half  barrels  thereof  to  be  used  in  the  public  rejoicings  of  this  day.' 
One  half  of  this  was  used  at  the  upper  long  wharf,  the  other  half 
at  the  lower  long  wharf,  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  John  Harbert, 
and  captain  Gideon  WoodwelL* 

The  ecclesiastical  difficulties  which  had  arisen  in  the  first  parish, 
under  the  ministry  of  the  reverend  Christopher  Toppan,  were,  it 
appears,  far  from  being  settled  under  his  successor,  the  reverend 
John  Tucker,  notwithstanding  so  large  a  secession  had  taken  place, 
from  the  church  and  parish,  at  the  time  of  his  settlement.  On 
February  eleventh,  the  parishioners  held  a  meeting,  to  decide  the 
question,  whether  to  build  a  new  meeting-house,  on  land  owned  by 
John  Brown,  esquire,  or  repair  the  old  one.  They  voted  to  repair 
the  old  meeting-house.  This  called  forth,  at  a  meeting,  held  March 
twenty- seventh,  a  protest  from  John  Brown,  and  seventeen  others, 
'  forbidding  them  to  lay  out  one  farthing  of  their  interest  towards  the 
repairs  of  the  meeting  house,  and  demanding  their  proportion  of  the 
parish  funds.'  At  the  same  time,  Joseph  Coffin,  esquire,  and  forty- 
three  others,  some  of  whom  attended,  and  some  did  not  attend,  the 
reverend  Mr.  Tucker's  preaching,  sent  a  petition  to  the  parish,  sta- 
ting, among  other  things,  that '  as  we  cannot  adhere  to  his  principles 
manifest  in  his  preaching,  especially  of  late,  we  cannot  think  it  our 
duty  to  ask  the  favour  to  be  freed  from  paying  any  further  taxes 
towards  his  support,  or  any  other  parish  charges.  We  therefore 
your  petitioners,  subscribers  hereto  humbly  pray  that  you  would  take 
our  case  jointly  into  your  serious  and  most  impartial  consideration  and 
grant  us  the  relief  we  might  rationally  expect  in  a  nation  where  liberty 
of  conscience  is  indulged  to  every  sect  and  denomination  of  Christians 
whatever,  and  in  a  land  where  a  love  of,  and  an  ardent  desire  after, 
liberty  is  born  with  us,  and  prevails  against  all  opposition  even  in 
civil,  much  more  in  religious,  affairs.  We  think  that  every  rational 

*  Town  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  233 

person  must  be  convinced  after  about  twenty  years'  trial,  that  we 
cannot  enjoy  any  lasting  peace  in  the  parish  while  we  thus  continue. 
We  therefore,'  and  so  forth.  Of  this  protest  and  petition,  no  satis- 
factory notice  was  taken.  Accordingly,  those  who  felt  aggrieved, 
formed  a  new  society,  which  they  called  the  union  society,  and 
commenced  preparations  to  erect  a  meeting-house,  \vhich,  it  is  said, 
they  first  intended  to  build  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Marlborough 
street,  but  finally  determined  to  place  it  opposite  to  the  old  meeting- 
house, on  land  which  they  purchased  of  John  Brown,  esquire, 
February  twenty-eighth.  This  occasioned  another  parish  meeting, 
April  twenty-eighth,  at  which  l  a  committee  of  three  was  chosen  to 
send  to  the  general  court  to  forbid  their  building  a  house  so  near 
the  present  house.'  In  July,  however,  the  house  was  raised,  and 
boarded,  but  was,  for  some  cause,  never  finished.  Tradition  asserts, 
that  Mr.  Nathan  Pierce  was  once  overheard  to  pray,  that  *  Dagon, 
[the  old  house,]  might  fall  before  the  ark  of  the  Lord.'  This  in- 
duced the  wags  of  the  parish,  to  call  the  old  meeting-house,  '  old 
Dagon,'  and  the  new  meeting-house,  i  young  Dagon,'  and  when, 
on  the  ninth  of  February,  1771,  in  a  violent  storm  of  thunder,  light- 
ning, wind,  and  rain,  the  new  house  was  blown  down,  one  of  them 
exclaimed,  as  he  saw  it  lifted  by  the  wind,  'I  snare,  you,  young 
Dagon  is  agoing ! ' 

We  at  the  present  day,  can  have  but  faint  conceptions,  of  the 
feelings  which  at  that  time  actuated  the  l  legalists,'  and  the  '  new 
lights,'  as  they  were  then  called.  This  intensity  of  feeling,  was 
principally  owing  to  the  virtual  union  of  church  and  state,  which 
then  deemed  conscience  a  geographical  matter,  and  made  it  the 
duty  of -every  man  within  certain  limits,  whether  he  believed  the 
doctrines  of  the  preacher,  or  not,  to*assist  in  his  support.  A  large 
portion  of  the  people  had  been,  for  many  years,  in  the  habit  of  sup- 
porting two  ministers ;  one  by  compulsion,  whom  they  would  not 
hear ;  the  other,  whose  doctrines  accorded  with  their  own,  and  whom, 
of  course,  they  heard,  and  voluntarily  maintained.  This  grievance 
was,  after  many  years'  endurance,  finally  removed,  thus  proving  the 
truth  of  the  assertion,  <  that  liberty  is  born  with  us,  and  prevails 
against  all  opposition  even  in  civil,  much  more  in  religious  affairs? 

May  2Sth.  Captain  Joshua  Coffin  and  Nathan  Pierce,  were 
chosen  by  the  union  society  '  a  committee  to  petition  the  general 
court  for  liberty  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  first  parish  to  attend  upon 
and  support  ye  publick  worship  where  they  please  in  said  parish 
and  not  be  taxed  elsewhere.' 

June  2d.  The  union  society  chose  a  committee,  to  treat  with  the 
court's  committee,  June  tenth,  with  respect  to  the  points  of  difference 
in  the  first  parish.  The  founders  of  the  union  society,  held  their 
first  meeting  January  second,  and  on  January  thirtieth,  chose  a 
committee  of  seven  to  build  a  meeting-house. 

The  division  of  the  Newbury  regiment,  this  year,  by  governoi 
Bernard,  caused  great  excitement  and  opposition  among  the  militia, 
as,  in  their  language,  '  it  deprived  the  second  regiment  of  its  dignity 
30 


234  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

and  station  and  degraded  it  to  the  rank  of  the  seventh  and  last 
regiment  in  the  county  without  any  regard  to  justice  or  the  honor 
of  a  soldier.'  The  soldiers  would  not  train,  the  officers  resigned, 
those  who  accepted  commissions  were  mobbed,  and  all  attempts  to 
reconcile  them  to  the  new  arrangement,  proved  utterly  abortive. 


1767. 

January.  It  should  be  mentioned,  as  a .  gratifying  circumstance, 
that  the  separation  of  the  third  from  the  first  society,  was  made 
in  the  most  amicable  manner.  Messrs.  Gary  and  Marsh  had  both 
been  candidates  for  settlement  in  the  first  parish.  About  one  third 
of  the  church  preferred  Mr.  Marsh.  The  majority  then  observed  to 
the  minority,  i  you  prefer  Mr.  Marsh,  we,  Mr.  Gary.  If  you  wish 
to  settle  Mr.  Marsh  and  build  a  meeting  house  we  will  assist  you 
and  give  you  your  part  of  the  church  plate,'  and  so  forth.  This  was 
accordingly  done ;  the  house  was  built,  fronting  on  Brown's  square, 
and  Mr.  Marsh  and  Mr.  Gary  both  settled ;  one  over  the  first  church 
and  parish,  the  other  over  the  third. 

This  year  Benjamin  Lunt  built  a  wharf,  at  the  foot  of  Muzzey's 
lane,  [now  Marlborough  street,]  '  as  there  was  no  wharf  convenient 
to  land  lumber,  and  so  forth,  upon  in  the  town  of  Newbury.'  % 

March  10th.  Permission  given  to  Stephen  Cross,  to  set  up  a 
distillery  in  Newburyport.^ 

June  21th.  Parliament  laid  a  tax  on  paper,  glass,  painters' 
colors,  teas,  and  so  forth. 

December  17th.  Newburyport  granted  the  petition  of  Gutting 
Moody,  Edmund  Bartlet,  and  others,  for  the  use  of  the  town  house, 
for  Mr.  Christopher  Bridge  Marsh  to  preach  in,  whose  hearers,  soon 
after,  formed  the  third  church  and  society  in  Newburyport 


1768. 

January  15th.     A  slight  shock  of  an  earthquake.! 

January  18th.  The  third  church  formed,  by  a  separation  from 
the  first  church. 

April  20th.  Young  ladies  met  at  the  house  of  reverend  Mr. 
Parsons,  who  preached  to  them  a  sermon  from  Proverbs,  31 :  19. 
They  spun,  and  presented  to  Mrs.  Parsons  two  hundred  and  seventy 
skeins  of  good  yarn.  They  drank  liberty  tea.  This  was  made 
from  an  herb  callepl  rib  wort. 

i  Mai;  10th.  An  exceeding  full  market,  [in  Newburyport,]  on 
account  of  the  ordination  tomorrow.'  f 

'  May  llth.     Reverend  Thomas  Gary  ordained.'  f 

(  May  23d.  Commenced  framing  Mr.  Marsh's  meeting  house, 
which  was  dedicated  September  fifteenth  and  Mr.  Marsh  ordained 
October  nineteenth.'  f 

*  Newburyport  records.  t  Mr.  Samuel  Horton's  diary. 


HISTORY    OF*  NEWBURY.  235 

A  quantity  of  bohea  tea,  so  called,  which  grew  in  Pearson  town, 
Maine,  i  was  received  in  Newburyport  the  day  that  he  was  ordained. 
In  the  afternoon  a  dish  was  made  and  handed  round  to  a  circle  of 
gentlemen  and  ladies,  who  pronounced  it  to  have  all  the  character- 
istics of  genuine  bohea  tea.'  ^ 

*  June  20th.     A  shock  of  an  earthquake.'  f 

September  Wth.  On  this  day,  as  we  learn  from  the  Salem  Ga- 
zette, one  '  Joshua  Vickery  ship  carpenter  was  seized  by  a  mob  in 
Newburyport,  carried  by  force  to  the  public  stocks,  and  there  com- 
pelled to  sit  from  three  to  five  o'clock  on  a  sharp  stone  till  he  fainted. 
He  was  then  carried  round  town  in  a  cart  with  a  rope  round  his 
neck,  with  his  hands  tied  behind  him,  pelted  with  eggs,  gravel  and 
stones  and  was  much  wounded.  At  night  he  was  carried  into  a 
dark  ware  house,  hand-cuffed  with  irons,  and  there  compelled  to 
remain  without  bed  or  clothing  through  the  Lord's  day  till  Monday 
morning,  and  no  person  but  his  wife  allowed  to  visit  him.  On 
Monday  morning  the  rioters  seized  a  Frenchman,  named  Francis 
Magro,  stripped  him  naked,  tarred  and  feathered  him,  placed  him 
in  a  cart  and  compelled  Vickery  to  lead  the  horse  about  town.' 
The  cause  of  these  outrages,  was,  Magro's  giving  information  to 
the  officers  of  the  customs  at  Portsmouth,  against  a  vessel,  the 
owners  of  which,  he  supposed  were  engaged  in  smuggling.  Vick- 
ery was  suspected,  but  was  afterward  proved  to  be  entirely  innocent. 
This  was  the  second  mob  in  Newburyport,  the  first  occurring  in 
September,  1765. 

October  6th.  A  fast  was  kept  by  the  churches  of  Newbury  and 
Rowley,  according  to  a  vote  of  the  towns,  '  on  account  of  the  crit- 
ical situation  of  the  province.'  J 

c  December  5th.  Mr.  Richard  Noyes  fell  from  his  cart  and  was 
killed  by  the  wheel's  passing  over  him.'  f 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year,  the  merchants  of  the  province  mutu- 
ally bound  themselves,  not  to  import,  nor  to  purchase  if  imported, 
any  British  goods,  before  January,  1770,  or  until  parliament  repealed 
the  revenue  laws. 

1769. 

March  14£A.  Town  of  Newbury  voted,  to  lend  James  Hudson 
twenty  pounds,  to  assist  him  in  completing  his  salt  works. 

April  19th.  First  church  in  Newbury  voted,  that  <  it  is  agreeable 
that  the  scriptures  be  read  in  publick.' 

'  April  ~L6th.  Two  boats  were  overset  at  Newbury  bar  and  eight 
persons  drowned,  namely,  Enoch  Stickney,  Diamond  Currier, 
Nathaniel  Moulton,  and  Simeon  Woodman  of  Newburyport,  and 
Samuel  Blaisdell,  Philip  Gould,  John  Gould,  and  Moses  Currier 
of  Amesbury.'f 

April  23d.  Byfield  church  voted  to  make  trial  of  Watts's  psalms 
and  hymns. 

*  Salem  Gazette.  t  Mr.  Samuel  Horton's  diary.  }  Town  records. 


236  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 


'  My  13£/i,  about  six  minutes  before  seven  o'clock  there  was  an 
earthquake.' 

i  July  19th.  This  evening  the  northern  lights  made  an  unusually 
splendid  appearance.' 

September  kill.  Town  of  Newburyport  approved  of  the  non- 
importation agreement,  and,  on  September  twentieth,  voted  to  return 
the  'thanks  of  the  town  to  the  merchants  and  others  of  Boston  for 
their  patriotic  resolution  of  nonimportation  of  goods  from  Great 
Britain,'  and  so  forth. 

1770. 

From  the  Massachusetts  Spy,  January  seventeenth,  I  extract  the 
following  reprint  from  an  English  paper. 

'  The  Newbury,  captain  Rose,  from  Newbury,  in  New  England, 
lies  at  the  Orchard  house,  Black  wall.  The  above  is  a  raft  of  tim- 
ber in  the  form  of  a  ship,  which  came  from  Newbury  to  soundings 
in  twenty-six  days  and  is  worthy  the  attention  of  the  curious.' 

This  was  one  of  the  three  or  four  ships,  built  in  the  same  manner, 
for  Mr.  Levi,  a  Jew,  one  of  which  was  launched  December  eleventh, 
1769,  and  another  October  ninth,  1771. 

'  February  %Ath.     An  earthquake  in  a  smart  snow  storm.' 

March  13th.  Fifty  citizens  of  Newbury  petitioned  the  town,  re- 
questing them  to  choose  a  committee,  and  order  them  to  offer  the 
inhabitants  'a  subscription  to  sign  against  purchasing  any  goods,' 
of  certain  importers,  and  also  against  'purchasing  or  using  any 
foreign  tea  in  our  families  upon  any  account,'  and  so  forth.  They 
also  petition,  '  that  the  names  of  such  persons  as  shall  refuse  to  sign 
said  subscription  may  by  a  vote  of  the  town  be  recorded  in  the  town 
book  that  posterity  may  know,  who  in  this  day  of  public  calamity 
are  enemies  to  the  liberties  of  their  country  and  their  memorial  be 
had  in  everlasting  detestation,'  ^  and  much  more  to  the  same  pur- 
nose.  '  The  petition  was  read  and  accepted  and  the  measures 
herein  requested  were  adopted  by  an  unanimous  vote  of  the  town,' 
and  a  committee  '  of  sixteen  persons  chosen  to  offer  a  subscription 
to  ye  inhabitants  of  the  town  to  sign.'  "%  The  following  is  an  exact 
copy  of  this  patriotic  pledge,  which  I  find  in  the  handwriting  of 
Joshua  Coffin,  esquire,  one  of  the  sixteen. 

1  Whereas  it  evidently  appears  to  be  absolutely  Necessary  for  ye  Political 
welfare  of  this  Province  to  Discourage  and  by  all  Lawful  Means  Endeavour  to 
prevent  ye  Transportation  of  Goods  from  Great  Britain,  and  Encourage  Industry, 
Oeconomy  and  Manufactures  amongst  our  Selves 

(  We.  therefore,  ye  Subscribers  being  Willing  to  Contribute  our  Mite  for  the 
Publick  Good,  do  hereby  promise  and  Engage  to  and  with  each  other,  That  we 
will  as  much  as  in  us  lies  promote  and  Encourage  ye  use  and  Consumption  of 
all  useful  Articles  Manufactured  in  this  Province,  and  that  we  will  not  (Know- 
ingly) on  any  pretence  whatever,  purchase  any  Goods  of,  or  have  any  Concerns 
by  way  of  Trade  with  John  Bernard,  James  McMasters,  Patrick  McMasters, 

*  Newbury  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  237 

John  Mein,  Nathaniel  Rogers,  William  Jackson  Theophilus  Lillie,  John  Taylor 
And  Ame  and  Elizabeth  Cummin,  all  of  Boston,  or  Israel  Williams  Esquire 
and  Son  of  Hatfield,  or  Henry  Bams  of  Marlborough,  or  any  Person  acting  by 
or  under  them  or  any  of  them,  or  any  other  person  or  persons  whomsoever  that 
shall  or  may  import  Goods  from  Great  Britain  contrary  to  ye  Agreement  of  ye 
United  Body  of  Merchants,  or  of  any  Persons  that  purchases  of  or  Trades  with 
them,  or  any  of  them  ye  sd  Importers  before  a  General  Importation  takes  place 
(Debts  before  Contracted  only  excepted.) 

1  And  if  it  doth  or  may  hereafter  appear,  that  there  is  any  Ship  Builder  in 
Newbury  Port,  or  any  other  Town  wheresoever  in  New  England,  that  has  so 
little  Regard  for  ye  Publick  welfare,  as  to  undertake  to  Build  any  Ship  Schoon- 
er, or  Sea-faring  Vessel  for  any  Foreigner,  or  any  other  Person  And  take  ye  pay 
for  ye  Same,  or  any  part  thereof,  in  Goods  Imported  Contrary  to  ye  Agreement 
of  sd  Merchants,  We  promise  and  Engage  not  to  have  any  Connection  by  way 
of  Trade  and  Commerce  (Debts  before  Contracted  only  excepted)  with  any  Such 
Ship  Builder,  nor  sell  them  any  Materials  for  Building  any  Sucn  Vessels.  But 
we  will  look  upon  all  such  Ship  Builders  (as  well  as  Importers  and  Traders 
with  Importers)  as  persons  Destitute  of  ye  principles  of  Common  Humanity 
(Sway'd  only  by  their  own  Private  Interest)  Enemies  to  their  Country  and  wor- 
thy of  Contempt.  And  whereas  a  great  part  of  ye  Revenue  arising  by  virtue  of 
ye  Acts  of  Parliament,  is  produced  from  the  duty  paid  on  Tea.  We  do  therefore 
Solemnly  Promise  not  to  purchase  any  Foreign  Tea,  or  Suffer  it  to  be  us'd  in 
our  Families  upon  any  Account  until!  ye  sd  Revenue  Acts  are  Repeal'd  or  a 
General  Importation  takes  place,  And  we  will  each  one  of  us,  as  we  have  proper 
Opportunitys  Recommend  to  all  persons  to  do  ye  same.  And  we  do  hereby  of 
our  Own  free  will  and  Accord  Solemnly  promise  to  and  with  Each  Other,  That 
we  will  without  Evasion  or  Equivocation  Faithfully  and  truly  Keep  and  Observe 
all  that  is  above  written,  And  whosoever  shall  or  may  Sign  these  Articles,  And 
afterwards  ( Knowingly J  break  ye  same  shall  by  us  be  esteemed  as  a  Covenant 
Breaker,  an  Enemy  to  his  Country,  a  Friend  to  slavery,  Deserving  Contempt. 

1  All  and  Singular  of  these  Articles  to  Continue  and  Remain  in  Force  untill 
ye  sd  Acts  be  RepeaFd,  or  a  General  Importation  takes  place. 

•  As  Witness  our  Hands.' 

March  23d.  Town  of  Newburyport  voted  *  that  this  town  will 
not  use  or  buy  any  foreign  tea  and  do  what  they  can  to  discourage 
it  in  others,'  and,  on  April  third,  voted  '  to  refrain  from  all  foreign  or 
India  tea,'  and  also  '  voted  to  choose  a  committee  of  ten  men  as  a 
committee  of  inspection  to  inspect  the  transactions  of  this  town 
respecting  the  importation  of  goods  into  the  town  contrary  to  ye 
agreement  of  the  merchants  of  Boston  and  elsewhere.'  This  com- 
mittee prepared  a  subscription  paper,  '  for  all  those  to  sign,  who  are 
determined  not  to  buy  or  sell  or  use  any  tea  in  their  families,'  and 
were  desired  'to  lay  before  the  town  the  names  of  those,  who  refuse 
to  sign,'  and  '  if  there  should  be  any  others,  who  sign  the  agreement 
and  do  n't  duly  regard  it.' 

The  honorable  Caleb  Gushing,  in  his  history  of  Newburyport, 
says,  that  the  meeting  of  April  third,  was  called  on  suspicion  l  that 
a  wagon  load  of  tea  had  been  brought  into  town.' 

April  12th.  The  duties  on  all  articles,  were  repealed  by  parlia- 
ment, except  that  on  tea. 

May  24th.  The  town  of  Newbury  petitioned  the  general  court, 
to  pass  an  act  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  bass  in  the  river  Parker. 

This  is  the  first  petition  of  the  kind  that  I  have  seen  from 
Newbury. 


238  HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY. 

May  24:th.  The  town  of  Newbury  voted  to  grant  the  petition  of 
Benjamin  Pettingell,  and  ninety-nine  others,  who  desired,  in  sub- 
stance, that  they  might  attend  public  worship  in  any  part  of  New- 
bury or  Newburyport,  '  where  they  choose,'  '  and  pay  where  they 
attend  and  no  where  else.'  The  town  also,  at  the  same  meeting, 
1  chose  Nathan  Pierce,  Joshua  Coffin  and  Samuel  Greenleaf  esquires 
a  committee  to  petition  the  general  court  to  confirm  the  above 
vote  by  a  law  of  the  province.'  The  town  also  voted  '  that  Stephen 
Brown  be  added  to  the  tea  committee,  and  the  time  for  subscribing 
be  lengthened  until  the  autumn.'  ^ 

My.  This  summer,  the  country  was  visited  with  immense 
armies  of  worms,  supposed  to  be  the  same  species  with  those  that 
came  in  1736.  '  This  worm,'  says  doctor  Dwight,  '  was  a  caterpillar 
nearly  two  inches  in  length,  striped  longitudinally  with  a  very  deep 
brown,  and  white ;  its  eyes  very  large,  bright  and  piercing,  its  move- 
ments very  rapid,  and  its  numbers  infinite.  Its  march  was  from 
west  to  east.  Walls  and  fences  were  no  obstruction  to  its  course, 
nor  indeed  was  any  thing  else,  except  the  sides  of  trenches,  which 
were  plowed,  or  dug  before  it,  and  in  which  immense  multitudes  of 
these  animals  died.'  Multitudes  of  these  trenches  were  dug  in 
Newbury,  and  many  fields  were  in  this  way  preserved.  There  was 
also  a  drought  this  summer,  and,  on  July  nineteenth,  '  Benjamin 
Poor's  barn  in  Newbury  new  town  was  consumed  by  lightning.' 

September  30th.  Sunday  morning,  about  six  o'clock,  died  the 
reverend  George  Whitefield,  in  Newburyport,  at  the  house  of  the 
reverend  Jonathan  Parsons.  From  the  seventeenth  to  the  twentieth, 
he  had  preached  every  day  in  Boston.  On  the  twenty-first,  he  went 
to  Portsmouth,  where  he  preached  daily,  from  the  twenty-third  to  the 
twenty-ninth ;  once  at  Kittery,  and  once  at  York.  On  Saturday,  the 
twenty-ninth,  he  preached  nearly  two  hours,  at  Exeter,  in  the  open 
air.  In  the  afternoon,  he  rode  to  Newburyport,  as  he  had  engaged 
to  preach  in  Newburyport  the  next  morning.  He  had  preached  in 
Newburyport,  September  tenth  and  eleventh,  and  perhaps  at  other 
times,  as  Mr.  Samuel  Horton  says,  in  his  diary,  1 1  subscribed  five 
pounds  old  tenor  to  be  remitted  to  Mr.  Whitefield  in  consideration 
of  his  abundant  labours  in  Newburyport.'  It  was  owing  to  the 
labors  of  Mr.  Whitefield,  that  the  first  presbyterian  church  in 
Newburyport  was  formed,  and,  in  the  language  of  Mr.  Gushing, 
i  whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  peculiar  opinions  of  Mr.  Whitefield 
certain  it  is  that  his  eloquence  as  a  preacher  was  unrivalled ;  and 
his  zeal  for  the  cause  he  taught,  of  the  highest  character.  The  fruits 
of  his  ministration  here  were  great  and  striking ;  and  the  establish- 
ment of  the  society  under  consideration  afforded  proof  of  the  per- 
manency of  its  effects.'  f  He  was  buried  beneath  the  pulpit,  in 
the  church  in  Federal  street,  in  which  a  cenotaph  was  erected  to  his 
memory,  in  1829,  by  the  munificence  of  the  late  William  Bartlet, 
esquire. 

*  Newbury  records.  t  History  of  Newburyport. 


\    i  , 


s 


HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY. 


239 


NORTH  WEST  VIEW  OF  THE  FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH, 

NEWBURYPORT,    MASS., 
IN   WHICH   ARE    DEPOSITED    THE    REMAINS    OF 

REV.    GEORGE    WHITEFIELD. 

INCLUDING    A   DISTANT  VIEW    OF   THE    HOUSE    IN   WH-ICH   HE  DIED, 


1771. 

March  VZth.  A  great  freshet,  and  great  destruction  of  bridges, 
and  so  forth. 

March  29th.  Abraham  Larkin,  an  Irishman,  was  crushed  to 
death,  while  examining  the  machinery  in  the  top  of  the  windmill, 
at  the  south  end  of  Frog  pond. 

May  28th.  The  town  again  voted,  that  Joshua  Coffin,  esquire, 
and  others,  who  were  chosen  May  twenty-fourth,  1770,  to  prefer  a 
petition  to  the  general  court,  l  be  now  instructed  to  use  their  utmost 
influence  to  get  the  said  vote  passed  into  a  law  of  the  province  at 
the  next  sessions  of  the  general  court.'  %• 

*  Newbury  records. 


240  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 


1772. 

January  3Qth.  Sloop  Three  Friends,  captain  Mark  Foran,  from 
Greenock,  in  Scotland,  was  cast  away  on  Plum  island. 

February  1.0th.  Captain  Thomas  Parsons  sailed  from  Newbury- 
port,  in  a  schooner,  for  the  West  Indies ;  was  wrecked  at  St.  Mary's, 
Nova  Scotia.  It  was  supposed,  that  he,  with  all  his  crew,  eight  in 
number,  were  massacred  by  the  inhabitants  there,  after  plundering 
the  vessel,  and  setting  it  on  fire. 

March  26lh.  First  parish  voted  to  erect  a  steeple  on  the  meeting- 
house, to  hang  the  bell  in. 

June  18th.     Snow  fell  in  Newbury. 

July  6th.  The  first  parish  '  voted  to  put  up  a  copper  weather 
cock  on  the  top  of  the  pyramid  '  of  the  meeting-house.  This  was 
substituted  for  the  iron  one,  which  was  made  at  the  time  the  meeting- 
house was  erected,  from  colonel  Thomas  Noyes's  old  iron  dripping 
pan.  So  Mr.  Robert  Adams  was  informed,  by  Mr.  Joseph  Noyes, 
then  ninety  years  of  age. 

Newburyport  held  a  meeting,  December  twenty-third,  and  New- 
bury, December  twenty-ninth,  and  chose  committees,  the  former  of 
twelve  persons,  the  latter  of  sixteen,  '  to  take  under  consideration  our 
publick  grievances,'  and  '  the  infringement  of  our  rights  and  liber- 
ties,' and  to  report,  and  so  forth.  In  both  meetings,  allusion  was 
made  to  the  able  pamphlet  '  received  from  Boston,'  and  of  their 
proceedings  at  a  meeting,  November  twentieth. 

4  December.  The  whole  of  this  month  very  warm,  rain  every 
three  or  four  days.  On  the  thirtieth  there  was  no  more  ice  in  the 
river  than  in  June.'  * 

1773. 

January  1st.  Newburyport  held  an  adjourned  meeting,  to  hear 
the  report  of  their  committee,  whose  ( letter  was  read  and  accepted,7 
a  copy  ordered  '  to  be  sent  to  the  committee  of  correspondence  of 
the  town  of  Boston.'  The  town  also  '  voted  that  captain  Jonathan 
Greenleaf,  our  representative,  be  acquainted  that  it  is  the  desire  and 
expectation  of  this  town  that  he  will  persevere  with  steadiness  and 
resolution  in  conjunction  with  his  brethren  in  the  honorable  house  of 
representatives  to  use  his  utmost  endeavours  to  procure  a  full  and 
complete  redress  of  all  our  publick  grievances,  and  to  do  every  thing 
in  his  power  in  order  that  the  present  and  succeeding  generations 
may  have  the  full  enjoyment  of  all  those  privileges  and  advantages, 
which  naturally  and  necessarily  result  from  our  glorious  constitution.' 

January  4th.  Town  of  Newbury  held  a  meeting,  and  voted, 
unanimously,  *  to  accept  the  report  of  their  committee  and  that  it 
be  entered  among  the  records  of  the  town,  there  to  stand  as  a  last- 

*  Reverend  Moses  Hale's  diary. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  241 

ing  memorial  of  the  sense  they  have  of  their  invaluable  rights  and 
of  their  steady  determination  to  defend  them  in  every  lawful  way 
as  occasion  may  require/  ' 

The  report  of  the  committee,  which  may  be  found  on  the  town 
records,  is  an  able  and  spirited  document,  but  is  too  long  for  publi- 
cation. Both  Newbury  and  Newburyport  most  cordially  thank  the 
inhabitants  of  Boston,  'for  their  vigilance  and  patriotic  zeal,'  and 
chose  a  committee  of  correspondence,  '  to  correspond  with  the  town 
of  Boston  and  such  others  as  they  shall  think  proper,'  and  so  forth. 

February  4th.  The  first  parish  '  voted  not  to  release  any  of  the 
pretended  churchmen,'  [from  paying  taxes.] 

1  August  14£/z.  About  eight  o'clock  there  was  in  Salisbury  and 
part  of  Amesbury  the  most  violent  tornado,  or  short  hurricane,  per- 
haps ever  known  in  the  country.  It  continued  about  three  minutes, 
in  which  time  it  damaged,  or  entirely  prostrated,  nearly  two  hundred 
buildings.  It  removed  two  vessels  one  of  them  of  ninety  tons, 
twenty-two  feet  from  the  stocks.  The  vein  of  the  tempest  was 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width  on  the  river  and  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  in  length.' 

September  23d.     Dudley  Colman  chosen  town  clerk  of  Newbury. 

September  28th.  Inferior  court  held  in  Newburyport  From  the 
Salem  Gazette,  I  make  the  following  extract 

October,  1773.  Extract  of  a  letter  from  Newburyport.  October 
tenth.  '  We  have  lately  had  our  court  week  when  the  novel  case 
of  Caesar  against  his  master  in  an  action  of  fifty  pounds  lawful 
money  damages  for  detaining  him  in  slavery  was  litigated  before  a 
jury  of  the  county,  who  found  for  the  plaintiff  eighteen  pounds 
damages,  and  costs.'  The  defendant  was  Mr.  Richard  Greenleaf. 
For  a  more  full  account  of  this  case  in  particular,  and  of  the  trans- 
actions concerning  slavery  in  Newbury,  see  appendix,  H. 

'  November  26th.  Town  of  Newbury  chose  a  committee  of  five 
persons  to  prevent  the  inoculation  of  the  small  pox  at  the  house  of 
Moses  Little  esquire,  and  also  voted  not  to  suffer  inoculation  in  the 
town.' 

December  4tth.  On  this  day,  the  first  number  of  a  paper,  called 
the  Essex  Journal  and  New  Hampshire  Packet,  was  published,  in 
Newburyport,  by  Isaiah  Thomas  and  Henry  Walter  Tinges.  This 
was  distributed  gratis.  The  next  number  was  published  December 
twenty-ninth. 

December  22d.  Town  of  Newbury  met  and  voted,  unanimously, 
1  not  to  receive  the  tea  sent  by  the  East  India  company  to  America 
upon  the  terms,  we  are  informed  it  is  now  sent  upon. 

'  Voted  unanimously  that  this  town  will  use  their  utmost  endeav- 
ours to  hinder  the  importation  of  tea  in  America  so  long  as  the 
duty  shall  remain  thereon  either  by  the  East  India  company,  or  in 
any  other  way  whatever. 

1  Voted  to  choose  a  committee  to  draw  up  what  shall  appear  to 
them  the  sense  of  this  town  and  make  report  at  an  adjourned 
meeting.' 

31 


242  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

<  December  9th.  At  a  numerous  [informal]  meeting  of  the  people 
of  Newburyport  and  others,  a  committee  of  five  was  chosen,  who 
reported  the  following,  which  was  accepted.  '  We  have  taken  into 
consideration  the  late  proceedings  of  the  town  of  Boston  relating 
to  the  importation  of  tea  by  the  East  India  company  into  America, 
and  do  acquiesce  in  their  proceedings  and  are  determined  to  give 
them  all  the  assistance  in  our  power  even  at  the  risque  of  our  lives 
and  fortunes.1 ' 

December  'Loth.  On  this  day,  the  people  of  Boston,  having  pre- 
viously tried,  without  success,  to  send  back  the  three  tea  ships  that 
had  arrived,  and,  determined  that  it  should  not  be  used,  a  party  of 
armed  men,  disguised  as  Indians,  boarded  the  ships,  and  threw  their 
whole  cargoes  into  the  docks. 

'  As  the  Mohawks  kind  of  thought, 
The  Yankees  had  n't  ought, 
To  drink  that  are  tea.' 

December  16th.  At  a  legal  meeting  of  the  freeholders,  and  other 
inhabitants  of  Newburyport,  the  committee  chosen  for  that  purpose, 
1  reported  the  following  draft  of  a  letter  to  be  sent  to  the  committee 
of  correspondence  of  the  town  of  Boston,'  which  was  adopted  at 
an  adjourned  meeting,  December  twentieth. 

'  Gentlemen,  it  is  with  astonishment  that  we  reflect  on  the  unremitted  efforts 
of  the  British  ministry  and  parliament  to  fasten  ruin  and  infamy  upon  these 
colonies.  They  not  only  claim  a  right  to  control  and  tax  us  at  their  pleasure, 
but  are  practising  every  species  of  fraud  as  well  as  violence  their  deluded 
minds  can  suppose  feasible  to  support  and  establish  this  absurd  and  injurious 
claim.  A  fresh  instance  we  have  in  the  plan  lately  adopted  for  supplying  the 
colonies  with  tea.  If  the  money  thus  unconstitutionally  taken  from  us  was  to 
be  expended  for  our  real  benefit  and  advantage  it  would  still  be  grievous,  as  the 
method  of  obtaining  it  is  of  a  dangerous  nature  and  most  fatal  tendency.  But 
we  lose  all  patience  when  we  consider  that  the  industrious  Americans  are  to  be 
stript  of  their  honest  earnings  to  gratify  the  humours  of  lawless  and  ambitious 
men  and  to  support  in  idleness  and  luxury  a  parcel  of  worthless  parasites  their 
creatures  and  tools,  who  are  swarming  thick  upon  us  and  are  already  become  a 
notorious  burden  to  the  community.  We  are  sorry  that  any,  who  call  them- 
selves Americans  are  hardy  enough  to  justify  these  unrighteous  proceedings. 
They  surely  deserve  the  utmost  contempt  and  indignation  of  all  honest  men 
throughout  the  world,  for  our  part  we  shall  endeavour  to  treat  them  according 
to  their  deserts.  By  the  public  prints  we  are  favoured  with  the  sentiments  of 
several  respectable  towns  in  the  province,  expressed  in  a  number  of  manly, 
sensible  and  spirited  resolves  with  respect  to  the  evils  immediately  before  us. 
We  are  under  great  obligations  to  our  worthy  friends  and  brethren,  who  have 
nobly  stood  forth  in  this  important  cause.  We  assure  them  that  should  they 
need  our  assistance  in  any  emergency  we  determine  most  readily  to  exert  our 
utmost  abilities  in  every  manly  and  laudable  way,  our  wisdom  may  dictate  for 
the  salvation  of  our  country,  even  at  the  hazard  of  our  lives  and  trusting  through 
the  favour  of  a  kind  providence  we  shall  be  able  to  frustrate  all  the  designs  of 
our  enemies.'  * 

December  28th.     Great  freshet  in  Merrimac  river. 

*  Newburyport  town  records. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  243 


1774. 

January  kth.  The  town  of  Newbury  met,  according  to  adjourn- 
ment, and  unanimously  adopted  a  long  and  able  report,  embracing 
fourteen  resolutions,  of  the  most  spirited  and  determined  tone,  con- 
cluding as  follows. 

'  And  whereas  our  brethren  address  us  with  religious  solemnity,  and  conde- 
scend to  ask  our  advice,  the  committee  take  leave  to  offer  to  the  consideration 
of  the  town,  the  following  short  address,  as  appearing  to  them  proper  upon  the 
present  important  occasion. 

'  Beloved  brethren,  let  us  stand  fast  in  the  liberty,  wherewith  God  and  the 
British  constitution  in  conjunction  with  our  own,  have  made  us  free,  that  neither 
we,  nor  our  posterity  after  us  (through  any  fault  of  ours)  be  entangled  with  the 
yoke  of  bondage.'  * 

During  this  period  of  apprehension  and  excitement,  which  were 
preparing  the  people  for  .the  arduous  conflict  before  them,  they 
found  opportunities  for  amusement,  peculiar  to  their  situation. 
Many  cases  like  the  following  might  be  given,  which  I  relate  on 
the  testimony  of  an  eye  witness,  the  late  Mr.  Caleb  Greenleaf,  of 
Haverhill,  and  the  public  papers. 

February  15th.  One  Holland  Shaw,  having  been  detected  in 
stealing  a  shirt,  was  immediately  taken  before  a  sort  of  ex  tempore 
court,  convened  for  the  occasion,  was  sentenced  as  follows,  namely, 
'  that  he  parade  through  the  principal  streets  of  the  town,  accompa- 
nied by  the  town  crier  with  his  drum.'  The  sentence  was  forthwith 
put  into  execution.  The  town  crier,  William  Douglass,  with  his 
brass  barreled  drum,  and  the  thief  with  the  shirt,  headed  the  proces- 
sion, which  took  up  its  line  of  march.  The  paper  of  that  day 
informs  us,  c  that  he  was  compelled  to  proclaim  his  crime  and  pro- 
duce the  evidence,  which  was  the  shirt  with  the  sleeves  tied  round 
his  neck,  the  other  part  on  his  back.'  The  proclamation,  which  he 
was  compelled  to  utter  with  a  loud  voice,  was,  '  I  stole  this  shirt, 
which  is  tied  round  my  neck  from  Mr.  Joseph  Coffin's  house  in 
Salisbury,  and  I  am  very  sorry  for  it.'  Having  been  thus  marched 
through  the  principal  streets,  and  satisfied  the  demands  of  this  new 
court  of  justice,  he  was  dismissed,  and  never,  after  that  night,  was 
he  seen  in  Newburyport.  Another  person,  who  had  stolen  a  quan- 
tity of  salt  fish,  was  compelled  to  make  atonement  for  his  offence, 
by  parading  through  the  streets,  holding  a  s'alt  fish  in  his  hand, 
above  his  head,  and  proclaiming  his  crime  in  a  similar  manner : 
<  I  stole  this  fish  and  five  quintals  more.'  An  English  sailor  was 
also  marched  round  the  town,  with  a  pair  of  stolen  breeches  tied 
round  his  neck,  informing  the  people  what  he  had,  and  how  he 
obtained  them. 

April  19th.     Battle  at  Lexington. 

Intelligence  having  been  received  in  England,  on  March  seventh, 

*  Newbury  records. 


244  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

of  the  manner  in  which  the  Bostonians  had  disposed  of  the  East 
India  company's  tea,  passed  an  act,  which  went  into  operation  June 
first,  by  which  the  harbor  of  Boston  was  closed  against  the  entrance, 
or  departure,  of  any  vessels.  It  was  called  the  '  Boston  port  bill.' 

June  17th.     Battle  of  Bunker  hill. 

June  23d.  '  The  town  of  Newbury  met  to  take  into  consideration 
certain  letters  sent  from  the  committee  of  correspondence  in  Boston 
to  the  committee  of  correspondence  in  Newbury,  the  following 
answer  was  taken  by  yeas  and  nays  without  one  dissenting  voice.' 

1  As  there  is  a  general  congress  of  the  colonies  proposed  to  consider  and  ad- 
vise on  the  present  distressed  state  of  our  civil  and  commercial  affairs,  we  can- 
not think  it  safe,  decent  or  suitable  to  go  into  any  decisive  binding  engagements 
previous  to  that,  but  to  assure  our  brethren  through  the  continent  of  our  hearty 
good  wishes  to  the  common  cause  of  liberty  and  our  country,  do  now  testify 
that  we  can  with  the  utmost  freedom  and  cheerfulness  agree  to  discontinue  all 
commerce  with  Great  Britain  and  with  all  importers  of  goods  from  thence,  or 
those  who  shall  refuse  to  comply  with  these,  or  any  other  measures,  that  shall 
be  determined  by  the  said  congress  so  long  as  shall  by  them  be  judged  expedi- 
ent and  necessary  for  the  opening  Boston  harbor  and  recovering  and  perpetua- 
ting all  our  just  rights  and  liberties.'^ 

August  3d.  The  town  of  Newburyport  held  a  meeting,  and, 
among  other  things,  '  voted  unanimously  that  this  town  will  stand 
by  the  result  of  the  congress  even  if  it  be  to  the  stopping  of  all 
trade.'  '  Voted  also  to  send  two  hundred  pounds  for  the  relief  of 
indigent  persons  in  the  town  of  Boston.' 

August  9th.  '  Town  of  Newbury  voted  to  send  two  hundred 
pounds  to  purchase  provisions  to  be  sent  and  given  to  the  suffering 
inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Boston.' 

September  22d.  l  The  town  of  Newbury  chose  the  honorable 
Joseph  Gerrish  esquire  as  their  representative  and  voted  that  he  be 
directed  and  instructed  not  to  be  qualified  for  his  seat  in  the  house 
by  any  oi  the  councilors,  who  have  received  their  commission  by 
mandamus  from  his  majesty  but  by  the  council  chosen  by  the  house 
of  representatives  agreeable  to  the  charter  of  this  province.'  %• 

October  3d.  The  town  of  Newburyport  met,  and  gave  instruc- 
tions to  captain  Jonathan  Greenleaf,  their  representative,  of  the  most 
derermined  and  decided  character.  I  have  only  room  for  the  fol- 
lowing extract.  '  Armed  ships  and  armed  men  are  the  arguments 
to  compel  our  obedience  and  the  more  than  implicit  language  that 
these  utter  is  that  we  must  submit  or  die.  But  God  grant  that 
neither  of  these  may  be  our  unhappy  fate.  We  design  not  madly 
to  brave  our  own  destruction,  and  we  do  not  thirst  for  the  blood  of 
others,  but  reason  and  religion  demand  of  us  that  we  guard  our 
invaluable  rights  at  the  risque  of  both,'  and  so  forth. 

October  2Ath.  The  town  of  Newburyport  held  a  meeting,  and 
'  voted  that  all  the  inhabitants  be  desired  to  furnish  themselves  with 
arms  and  ammunition  and  have  bayonets  fixed  to  their  guns  as  soon 
as  may  be. 

*  Newbury  records. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  245 

*  Voted  also  that  no  effigies  be  carried  about  or  exhibited  on  the 
fifth  of  November  or  other  time  only  in  the  day  time.' 

December  2Sth.  Town  of  Newburyport  chose  Tristram  Dalton, 
esquire,  captain  Jonathan  Greenleaf,  and  Mr.  Stephen  Cross,  'to 
represent  this  town  in  the  provincial  congress  to  be  held  at  Cam- 
bridge in  February  next.' 

1775. 

The  people  of  Newbury  and  Newburyport,  having  made  all 
necessary  preparations,  and  taken  all  needful  precautions,  for  their 
protection,  and  the  preservation  of  their  invaluable  rights  and  priv- 
ileges, and  given  utterance  to  their  feelings,  in  the  most  determined 
and  decided  tone,  prior  to  the  commencement  of  this  year,  soon 
discovered  that  nothing  short  of  a  severe  and  bloody  contest,  or 
unconditional  submission,  was  before  them.  With  them,  submission 
was  out  of  the  question,  and  events  soon  transpired,  which  made  it 
manifest,  that  they  must  buckle  on  their  armor,  and  sumrnon  all 
their  energies,  for  the  coming  conflict  For  this,  they  were  with 
great  unanimity  prepared,  come  when  it  might  On  the  twenty- 
sixth  of  February,  general  Gage  sent  colonel  Leslie  from  castle 
William  to  Salem,  to  seize  some  military  stores.  This,  the  people 
would  not  permit  him  to  do,  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  prudent 
interposition  of  the  reverend  Thomas  Barnard,  of  Salem,  (formerly 
of  Newbury,)  and  others,  the  war  of  the  revolution  would  have 
begun  at  Salem,  instead  of  Lexington.  The  fight  at  Lexington, 
the  skirmish  at  Concord,  April  nineteenth,  and  the  battle  at  Bunker 
hill,  June  seventeenth,  precluded  all  hope  of  an  amicable  settlement 
of  the  controversy.  The  spirits  of  the  people  rose  with  the  occasion. 
In  the  midst,  however,  of  their  excitement,  an  event  occurred,  which, 
whether  arising  from  accident,  or  a  regular  preconcerted  plan,  it  is 
impossible  to  say,  occasioned,  for  a  time,  great  anxiety  and  distress 
among  the  people,  and  in  which,  on  a  review  of  all  the  circum- 
stances connected  with  it,  there  appeared  such  a  curious  commin- 
gling of  the  comic,  the  ludicrous,  and  the  distressing,  as  would 
afford  ample  materials  for  a  volume  of  amusement  Those  who 
witnessed  the  scene,  can  never  forget  it,  and  those  who  did  not,  can 
have  but  a  faint  idea  of  it  from  any  description.  I  allude  now,  to 
what  has  been  usually  called  'the  Ipswich  fright,'  which  happened 
on  this  wise.  On  Friday  afternoon,  April  twenty-first,  the  second 
day  after  the  Lexington  fight,  the  people  of  Newburyport  held  an 
informal  meeting,  at  the  town  house,  and,  just  as  the  reverend 
Thomas  Gary  was  about  opening  the  meeting  with  prayer,  a  mes- 
senger rushed  up  stairs,  in  breathless  haste,  crying  out,  '  for  God's 
sake,  turn  out !  turn  out !  or  you  will  all  be  killed !  The  regulars 
are  marching  this  way,  and  will  soon  be  here.  They  are  now  at 
Ipswich,  cutting  and  slashing  all  before  them ! '  The  messenger 
proved  to  be  Mr.  Ebenezer  Todd,  who  stated  that  he  had  been  sent 
from  Rowley,  to  warn  the  people  of  their  impending  destruction. 


246  HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY. 

The  news  spread  like  wildfire,  and  being  generally  credited,  the 
consternation  became  almost  universal,  and  as  a  large  part  of  the 
militia  had  marched  to  the  scene  of  action,  early  the  next  morning 
after  the  fight  at  Lexington,  the  terror  and  alarm  among  the  women 
and  children,  was  proportionably  increased,  especially,  as,  from  all 
quarters,  was  heard  the  cry,  '  the  regulars  are  coming !  They  are 
down  to  Old  town  bridge,  cutting,  and  slashing,  and  killing  all 
before  them !  They  '11  soon  be  here ! '  It  is  remarkable,  that  the 
same  story,  in  substance,  was  simultaneously  told,  from  Ipswich  to 
Coos.  In  every  place,  the  report  was,  that  the  regulars  were  but  a 
few  miles  behind  them.  In  Newbury  New  town,  it  was  said,  they  had 
advanced  as  far  as  Artichoke  river,  at  Newburyport  they  were  at  Old 
town  bridge ;  there,  they  were  said  to  be  at  Ipswich,  while,  at  the  latter 
place,  the  alarm  was  the  same.  Mr.  Eliphalet  Hale,  of  Exeter,  was  at 
the  latter  place,  and  waited  to  ascertain  the  correctness  of  the  report. 
Learning  that  it  was  without  foundation,  he  made  haste  to  unde- 
ceive the  people,  by  riding  from  Ipswich  to  Newbury  in  fifty  min- 
utes. In  the  mean  time,  all  sorts  of  ludicrous  things  were  done,  by 
men  and  women,  to  escape  impending  destruction.  All  sorts  of 
vehicles,  filled  with  all  sorts  of  people,  together  with  hundreds  on 
foot,  were  to  be  seen,  moving  with  all  possible  speed,  farther  north, 
somewhere,  to  escape  the  terrible  *  regulars.'  Their  speed  was  accele- 
rated, by  persons  who  rode  at  full  speed  through  the  streets,  crying, 
'  flee  for  your  lives !  flee  for  your  lives !  the  regulars  are  coming ! ' 
Some  crossed  the  river  for  safety.  Some  in  Salisbury,  went  to  Hamp- 
ton, and  spent  the  night  in  houses  vacated  by  their  owners,  who 
had  gone  on  the  same  errand  farther  north.  The  houses  at  Turkey 
hill,  were  filled  with  women  and  children,  who  spent  the  night  in 
great  trepidation.  One  man  yoked  up  his  oxen,  and,  taking  his  own 
family,  and  some  of  his  neighbor's  children,  in  his  cart,  drove  off  to 
escape  the  regulars.  Another,  having  concealed  all  his  valuable 
papers,  under  a  great  stone,  in  his  field,  fastened  his  doors  and  win- 
dows, and,  having  loaded  his  musket,  resolved  to  sell  his  life  as 
dearly  as  possible.  One  woman,  having  concealed  all  her  pewter 
and  silver  ware,  in  the  well,  filled  a  bag  with  pies  and  other  edibles, 
and  set  off  with  it  and  her  family  for  a  safer  place,  but  having  trav- 
eled some  distance,  and  deposited  her  bag,  to  make  some  inquiry, 
she  found,  on  her  return,  that  there  had  been  '  cutting  and  slashing,' 
not,  indeed,  by  the  regulars  among  the  people,  but  by  the  irregulars 
among  her  provisions.  Another  woman,  as  I  am  informed,  having 
run  four  or  five  miles,  in  great  trepidation,  stopped  on  the  steps  of 
the  reverend  Mr.  Noble's  meeting-house,  to  nurse  her  child,  and  found, 
to  her  great  horror,  that  she  brought  off  the  cat,  and  left  her  child  at 

home.     In  another  instance,  a  Mr. ,  having  placed  his  family 

on  board  of  a  boat,  to  go  to  Ram  island,  for  safety,  was  so  annoyed 
-with  the  crying  of  one  of  his  children,  that  he  exclaimed,  in  a  great 
fright,  '  do  throw  that  squalling  brat  overboard,  or  we  shall  all  be 

•discovered ! '     A  Mr.  J L ,  seeing  Mr.  C H ,  a 

-very  corpulent  man,  standing  at  his  door,  with  his  musket  loaded, 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  247 

inquired  of  him  if  he  was  not  going.  '  Going  ?  no/  said  he,  1 1 
am  going  to  stop  and  shoot  the  devils ! '  Propositions  were  made 
by  some  persons,  to  destroy  Thorla's,  and  the  river  Parker,  bridges, 
while  many  acted  a  more  rational  part,  and  resolutely  refused  to 
move  a  step,  or  credit  the  whole  of  the  flying  stories,  without  more 
evidence.  How,  or  by  whom,  or  with  what  motives,  the  report  wa& 
first  started,  no  one  can  tell.  It  lasted  in  Newbury  and  Newbury- 
port, but  one  night,  and  in  the  morning,,  all  who  had  been  informed 
that  the  rumor  was  without  foundation, 

1  Returned  safe  home,  right  glad  to  save 
Their  property  from  pillage ; 
And  all  agreed  to  blame  the  man, 
Who  first  alarmed  the  village.' 

As  was  previously  remarked,  the  fight  at  Lexington  was  on 
Wednesday,  April  nineteenth,  and,  as  soon  as  the  news  reached  New- 
buryport  and  Newbury,  which  was  about  midnight,  a  large  number 
of  soldiers  were  on  their  march  to  the  field  of  action.  Two  compa- 
nies from  Newbury,  and  two  from  Newburyport,  were  soon  on  the 
ground,  ready  for  any  emergency  which  might  occur.  In  another 
place,  something  more  will  be  found,  concerning  the  part  which 
Newbury  and  Newburyport  took,  during  the  trying  scenes  of  the 
revolution,  and  the  names  of  some  of  the  actors ;  also  a  brief  sum- 
mary, of  some  of  the  events  connected  with  the  privateering  business, 
in  which  the  people  of  Newburyport  were  very  extensively  engaged. 

From  a  journal  of  every  day's  proceedings,  kept  by  lieutenant 
Paul  Lunt,  I  make  a  few  extracts. 

1  May  tenth,  1775,  marched  from  Newburyport  with  sixty  men,  captain  Ezra 
Lunt,  commander,  and  May  twelfth  at  eleven  o'clock  arrived  at  Cambridge. 
June  fourteenth,  some  ships  and  transports  arrived  at  Boston  with  two  hundred 
horse  and  three  thousand  troops.  June  sixteenth,  our  men  went  to  Charlestown 
and  intrenched  on  a  hill  beyond  Bunker's  hill.  They  fired  from  the  ships  and 
Copps'  hill  all  the  time.  June  seventeenth,  the  regulars  landed  a  number  of 
troops  and  we  engaged  them.  They  drove  us  off  the  hill  and  burned  Charles- 
town.  July  second,  at  night  general  Washington  came  into  the  camp.  July 
third,  turned  out  early  in  the  morning,  got  in  readiness  to  be  reviewed  by  the 
general.  July  eighteenth.  This  morning  a  manifesto  was  read  by  the  reverend 
Mr.  Leonard,  chaplain  to  the  Connecticut  forces  upon  Prospect  hill  in  Charles- 
town.  Our  standard  was  presented  in  the  midst  of  the  regiments  with  this  in- 
scription upon  it  :  APPEAL  TO  HEAVEN,  after  which  Mr.  Leonard  made  a 
short  prayer  and  there  we  were  dismissed  by  the  discharge  of  a  cannon,  three 
cheers,  and  a  war-whoop  by  the  Indians.'  l  July  thirty-first.  At  four  P.  M.  they 
[the  British,]  sent  out  a  flag  of  trace,  desiring  a  cessation  of  arms  for  three 
hours,  but  it  was  not  granted.  One  of  the  riflemen  shot  at  the  flag  staff  of  the 
truce  and  cut  it  off  above  his  hand/ 

General  Washington,  having  projected  an  expedition  against 
Quebec,  determined  to  send  out  a  detachment,  from  his  camp,  at 
Boston,  to  march  by  the  way  of  the  Kennebec  river,  through  the 
wilderness.  As  that  detachment  passed  through  Newbury  and 
Newburyport,  and  encamped  here  on  its  way  to  Canada,  a  short 
account  of  it  will  not  be  unacceptable.  In  lieutenant  Paul  Lunt's 
journal,  I  find  the  following. 


248  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

'September  Wth.  Twenty  of  our  company  enlisted  to  go  to  Canada  under  the 
command  of  captain  Ward.  September  thirteenth.  In  the  afternoon  the  regi- 
ment marched  from  Cambridge  to  Newburyport,  there  to  embark  for  Canada 
under  the  command  of  colonel  [Benedict]  Arnold,  lieutenant  colonel  [Christo- 
pher] Greene  [of  Rhode  Island,]  and  Major  [Timothy]  Bigelow  [of  Massachu- 
setts.] Captain  Ward  commanded  the  company  that  the  Newbury  men 
enlisted  in.' 

One  of  the  men  from  Newburyport,  who  was  a  soldier  in  this 
disastrous  expedition,  was  Mr.  Caleb  Haskell,  who  kept  a  journal 
of  the  march,  and  of  the  hardships  and  privations  endured  by  the 
troops.  This  journal,  I  have  never  been  able  to  obtain,  though  it 
has  been  read  by  many  with  thrilling  interest.  I  shall  therefore 
make  a  few  extracts  from  major  Return  J.  Meigs's  journal. 

'  1775,  September  16th.  In  the  morning  continued  our  march  and  at  ten  o'clock 
A.  M.  arrived  at  Newburyport  and  encamped.  * 

*  Seventeenth,  Sunday.     Attended  divine  service  at  the  reverend  Mr.  Parsons's 
meeting.     Dined  at  Mr.  Nathaniel  Tracy's. 

'Eighteenth.     Dined  at  Mr.  Tristram  Dalton's. 

'  Nineteenth.  Embarked  our  whole  detachment  consisting  of  ten  companies 
of  musketmen,  and  three  companies  of  riflemen,  amounting  to  eleven  hundred 
men  on  board  ten  transports.!  I  embarked  myself  on  board  the  sloop  Britannia. 
The  fleet  came  to  sail  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M.  and  sailed  out  of  the  harbour,  and 
lay  to  till  one  o'clock  P.  M.  when  we  received  orders  to  sail  for  Kennebeck  fifty 
leagues  from  Newburyport,'  and  so  forth. 

In  addition  to  the  names  already  given,  of  persons  who  accom- 
panied the  army,  may  be  mentioned  the  late  reverend  Samuel 
Spring,  of  Newburyport,  who  officiated  as  chaplain,  Matthew 
Ogden  and  Aaron  Burr,  of  New  Jersey,  John  I.  Henry,  afterward 
judge  Henry,  of  Pennsylvania,  captain,  afterward  general  Henry 
Dearborn,  of  New  Hampshire,  captain  Daniel  Morgan,  commander 
of  the  riflemen,  with  captains  William  Kendricks  and  Matthew 
Smith,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  many  others  less  known.  From  the 
following  letters,^  from  general  Arnold,  it  appears  that  he  arrived 
at  Fort  Western,  as  early  as  September  twenty-seventh.  The 
transports  landed  the  men  at  Pittstqn,  Maine,  where  the  batteaux 
were  built.  The  result  of  this  expedition,  which  arrived  at  Quebec,. 
November  ninth,  is  well  known. 

'Fort  Western,  21th  September,  1775. 
1  To  captain  Moses  Nowell,  • 

Newburyport : 
'Sir: 

*  You  are  hereby  ordered  to  receive  from  captain  James  Clarkson,  one  James 
McCormick,  a  criminal  condemned  for  the  murder  of  Reuben  Bishop,  and  him 
safely  convey  under  a  proper  guard,  to  his  excellency  general  Washington  at 
head  quarters. 

I  am  your  humble  servant, 

B.  ARNOLD.' 

*  The  riflemen  under  captain  Morgan,  encamped  in  the  field  at  the  corner  of  Rolfe's 
lane.     The  other  troops  occupied  two  of  the  rope  walks  in  town. 

t  The  following  are  the  names  of  some  of  these  vessels :  schooner  Broad  Bay,  captain 
Clarkson;  sloop  Britannia;  sloop  Admiral. 
\  Maine  Historical  Society's  Collection,  volume  first,  page  358. 


HISTORY   OF    NEWBURY.  249 

'Fort  Western,  28th  September,  1775. 
Mr.  Nathaniel  Tracy : 

'Dear  Sir: 

'  This  will  be  handed  you  by  captain  Clarkson  who  will  acquaint  you  with 
the  particulars  of  our  voyage,  which  has  been  very  troublesome  indeed. 

I  To  captain  Clarkson  I  am  under  many  obligations  for  his  activity,  vigilance 
and  care  of  the  whole  fleet,  both  on  our  passage  and  since  our  arrival  here ;  for 
which  he  may  very  possibly  be  blamed  by  some  of  the  other  captains ;  but  he 
has  really  merited  much,  and  it  will  always  give  me  a  sensible  pleasure  to  hear 
of  his  welfare  and  success,  as  I  think  him  very  deserving. 

I 1  must  embrace  this  opportunity  to  acknowledge  the  many  favours  received 
from  you  at   Newbury ;    and  am  with  my  best  respects  to  Mrs.  Tracy,  your 
brother  and  Mr.  Jackson,  and  so  forth, 

Dear  sir,  yours,  and  so  forth, 

B.  ARNOLD.' 

NOTE.  Some  writers,  among  whom  are  judge  Marshall  and  reverend  doctor 
Holmes,  mistake  in  stating  that  a  company  of  artillery  under  captain  John 
Lamb,  accompanied  Arnold's  expedition.  Setting  aside  the  impossibility  of 
transporting  heavy  cannon  and  balls,  and  so  forth,  and  so  forth,  through  the 
wilderness,  between  the  Kennebec  and  the  Chaudiere,  we  have  the  positive 
assertion  of  contemporary  journals,^  that  captain  Lamb,  with  a  company  of  ar- 
tillery, was,  August  twenty-eighth,  1775,  posted  on  the  battery,  in  New  York 
city,  and  that,  on  the  eighteenth  of  September,  captain  L.,  (having  gone  by  the 
way  of  the  Hudson  river,  to  join  general  Montgomery,!)  arrived  at  Cumberland 
"bay,  fifty  miles  from  Montgomery's  camp  at  isle  aux  Noix, 

For  the  above  note,  copies  of  the  preceding  letters,  and  other 
information,  which  I  have  been  under  the  necessity  of  abridging,  I 
am  indebted  to  the  politeness  of  reverend  William  S.  Bartlet,  now 
of  Chelsea.  I  regret  that  I  have  not  room  for  the  whole  communi- 
cation. Other  facts  and  incidents  demand  a  passing  notice.  Among 
them,  maybe  mentioned,  the  annual  celebration  .of  an  event,  which, 
from  the  first  settlement  of  New  England,  till  this  year,  was  deemed 
worthy  of  public  commemoration.  I  allude  to  the  discovery  of  the 
4  gunpowder  plot,'  which  took  place  November  fifth,  1605.  The 
last  public  celebration  of  ;  pope  day,'  so  called,  in  Newbury  and 
Newburyport,  occurred  this  year.  '  To  prevent  any  tumult  or  dis- 
order taking  place  during  the  evening  or  night,'  the  town  of  New- 
buryport voted,  October  twenty-fourth,  1774,  '  that  no  effigies  be 
carried  about  or  exhibited  on  the  fifth  of  November  only  in  the  day 
time.'  Motives  of  policy  afterward  induced  the  discontinuance  of 
this  custom,  which  has  now  become  obsolete.  This  year,  the  cele- 
bration went  off  with  a  great  flourish.  (In  the  day  time,  companies 
of  little  boys  might  be  seen,  in  various  parts  of  the  town,  with  their 
little  popes,  dressed  up  in  the  most  grotesque  and  fantastic  manner, 
which  they  carrried  about,  some  on  boards,  and  some  on  little  car- 
riages, for  their  own  and  others'  amusement.  But  the  great  exhibi- 
tion was  reserved  for  the  night,  in  which  young  men,  as  well  as 
boys,  participated.  They  first  constructed  a  huge  vehicle,  varying, 
at  times,  from  twenty  to  forty  feet  long,  eight  or  ten  wide,  and  five 

*  New  York  Gazette  and  Weefclv  Messenger,  September  eleventh,  1775,  and  t  Octo- 
ber fifth,  1775. 

32 


250  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

or  six  high,  from  the  lower  to  the  upper  platform,  on  the  front  of 
which,  they  erected  a  paper  lantern,  capacious  enough  to  hold,  in 
addition  to  the  lights,  five  or  six  persons.  Behind  that,  as  large  as 
life,  sat  the  mimic  pope,  and  several  other  personages,  monks,  friars, 
and  so  forth.  Last,  but  not  least,  stood  an  image  of  what  was  de- 
signed to  be  a  representation  of  old  Nick  himself,  famished  with 
a  pair  of  huge  horns,  holding  in  his  hand  a  pitchfork,  and  otherwise 
accoutred,  with  all  the  frightful  ugliness  that  their  ingenuity  could 
devise.  Their  next  step,  after  they  had  mounted  their  ponderous 
vehicle  on  four  wheels,  chosen  their  officers,  captain,  first  and  second 
lieutenant,  purser,  and  so  forth,  placed  a  boy  under  the  platform,  to 
elevate  and  move  round,  at  proper  intervals,  the  movable  head  of 
the  pope,  and  attached  ropes  to  the  front  part  of  the  machine,  was, 
to  take  up  their  line  of  march  through  the  principal  streets  of  the 
lowjjj  Sometimes,  in  addition  to  the  images  of  the  pope  and  his 
company,  there  might  be  found,  on  the  same  platform,  half  a  dozen 
dancers,  and  a  fiddler,  whose 

c  Hornpipes,  jigs,  strathspeys,  and  reels. 
Put  life  and  mettle  in  their  heels,' 

together  with  a  large  crowd,  who  made  up  a  long  procession.  Their 
custom  was,  to  call  at  the  principal  houses  in  various  parts  of  the 
town,  ring  their  bell,  cause  the  pope  to  elevate  his  head,  and  look 
round  upon  the  audience,  and  repeat  the  following  lines. 

'  The  fifth  of  November, 

As  you  well  remember, 

Was  gunpowder  treason  and  plot; 

I  know  of  no  reason 

Why  the  gunpowder  treason, 

Should  ever  be  forgot. 

When  the  first  king  James  the  sceptre  swayed, 

This  hellish  powder  plot  was  laid. 

Thirty-six  barrels  of  powder  placed  down  below, 

All  for  old  England's  overthrow : 

Happy  the  man,  and  happy  the  day, 

That  caught  Guy  Fawkes  in  the  middle  of  his  play. 

You  '11  hear  our  bell  go  jink,  jink,  jink ; 

Pray  madam,  sirs,  if  you'll  something  give, 

We  '11  burn  the  dog,  and  never  let  him  live. 

We  '11  burn  the  dog  without  his  head, 

And  then  you  'W  say  the  dog  is  dead. 

From  Rome,  from  Rome,  the  pope  is  come, 

All  in  ten  thousand  fears ; 

The  fiery  serpent's  to  be  seen, . 

All  head,  mouth,  nose,  and  ears. 

The  treacherous  knave  had  so  contrived, 

To  blow  king  parliament  all  up  all  alive. 

God  by  his  grace  he  did  prevent 

To  save  both  king  and  parliament. 

Happy  the  man,  and  happy  the  day, 

That  catched  Guy  Fawkes  in  the  middle  of  his  play. 

Match  touch,  catch  prime, 

In  the  good  nick  of  time. 

Here  is  the  pope  that  we  have  got, 

The  whole  promoter  of  the  plot, 

We  '11  stick  a  pitchfork  in  his  back, 

And  throw  him  in  the  fire.' 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  251 

After  the  verses  were  repeated,  the  purser  stepped  forward,  and 
took  up  his  collection.  Nearly  all  on  whom  they  called,  gave 
something.  Esquire  Atkins  and  esquire  Dalton,  always  gave  a 
dollar  apiece.  After  perambulating  the  town,  and  finishing  their 
collections,  they  concluded  their  evening's  entertainment  with  a 
splendid  supper ;  after  making,  with  the  exception  of  the  wheels, 
and  the  heads  of  the  effigies,  a  bonfire  of  the  whole  concern,  to 
which  were  added,  all  the  wash  tubs,  tar  barrels,  and  stray  lumber, 
that  they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  With  them,  the  common  cus- 
tom was,  to  steal  all  the  stuff.  But  those  days  have  long  since 
passed  away.  The  last  exhibition  of  the  kind,  took  place  this  year. 
The  principal  cause  of  its  discontinuance,  was,  an  unwillingness  to 
displease  the  French,  whose  assistance  was  deemed  so  advantageous 
during  the  revolution. 

1776- 

February  3cL  Newburyport  gave  to  the  town  of  Boston,  two 
hundred  and  two  pounds,  ten  shillings,  and  two  pence,  Mr.  Parsons' s 
parish  gave  ten  pounds,  sixteen  shillings,  and  four  pence,  Mr.  Tuck- 
er's parish,  in  Newbury,  gave  forty-six  pounds,  four  shillings,  and 
two  pence,  and  Mr.  Noble's  gave  nine  pounds  and  six  pence. 
These  were  in  addition  to  the  four  hundred  pounds  given  by  the 
two  towns. 

January  15th,  Monday.  The  brig  Sukey,  captain  Engs,  ninety 
tons,  from  Ireland,  was  taken  by  the  Washington,  privateer,  and 
brought  into  Newburyport,  laden  with  provisions,  destined  for  Bos- 
ton. Qn  the  morning  of  the  same  day,  a  British  ship  appeared  off 
Newbury  bar.  As  she  lay  off  and  on,  several  miles  from  the  land, 
shewing  English  colors,  and  tacking  often,  the  wind  being  easterly, 
with  appearance  of  a  storm,  it  was  conjectured  by  some  persons 
who  observed  her  from  town,  that  the  captain  had  mistaken  Ipswich 
bay,  for  that  of  Boston,  which  was  then  in  possession  of  the  British. 
On  this  supposition,  several  individuals  determined  to  proceed  to 
sea,  and  make  a  closer  examination.  Accordingly,  seventeen  per- 
sons embarked,  in  three  whale  boats,  and,  as  they  approached  the 
ship,  being  satisfied,  by  the  movements  on  board,  that  they  were 
right  in  their  conjectures,  they  determined  to  offer  their  services  as 
pilots.  For  this  purpose,  they  rowed  within  speaking  distance, 
when  captain  Offin  Boardman,  whom  they  had  previously  selected 
to  act  as  commodore  of  their  little  fleet,  hailed  the  ship,  inquiring 
whence  she  came  and  where  bound.  The  answer  was,  from  Lon- 
don, bound  to  Boston,  with  the  inquiry,  where  are  you  from,  and 
what  land  is  this  ?  The  reply  was,  from  Boston,  do  you  want  a 
pilot  ?  Being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  he  told  them  to  heave 
the  ship  to,  and  he  would  come  on  board.  This  being  immediately 
done,  his  boat  was  rowed  to  the  ship's  gangway,  and  he,  passing 
up,  unarmed,  proceeded  to. the  quarter  deck,  shook  hands  with  the 
captain,  inquiring  his  passage,  the  news  from  London,  and  so  forth, 


252  HISTORY    OF    NEWiil.'ilY. 

by  which  time,  those  in  the  boats  had  reached  the  deck,  with  their 
arms,  and  were  paraded  across  the  gangway,  most  of  the  crew 
being  forward.  Captain  Boardman  then  left  the  quarter  deck,  and, 
to  the  great  surprise  of  the  English  captain,  and  his  crew,  ordered 
the  ship's  colors  struck.  This  order,  the  English  captain  told  his 
mate,  he  supposed  he  must  obey.  He  then  observed  to.  his  captors, 
that  the  ship  and  cargo  were  their  own,  but,  at  the  same  time,  hoped 
that  neither  he  nor  his  crew  would  receive  any  injury. 

Thus,  by  a  correct  conjecture  in  regard  to  the  ship's  situation, 
and  a  well  managed  finesse  in  making  their  approach,  they  found 
themselves  in  quiet  possession  of  a  ship,  mounting  four  carriage 
guns,  a  crew  of  nearly  their  own  number,  and  containing  fifty-two 
chaldrons  of  coals,  eighty-six  butts  and  thirty  hogsheads  of  portery 
twenty  hogsheads  of  vinegar,  sixteen  hogsheads  of  sour  crout,  and 
twenty-three  live  hogs,  intended  for  the  use  of  the  troops  quartered 
in  Boston.  Having  placed  the  officers  and  crew  under  safe  keep- 
ing, and  having  a  fair  wind  and  tide,  they  arrived  at  the  wharf,  in 
Newburyport,  in  less  than  six  hours  from  the  commencement  of 
their  expedition.  The  ship  was  called  the  Friends,  was  owned  in 
London,  and  commanded  by  captain  Archibald  Bowie. 

The  only  names  of  those  who  composed  the  party  in  the  whale 
boats,  which  can  be  ascertained  with  certainty,  are,  Offm  Boardman, 
Joseph  Stanwood,  John  Coombs,  Gideon  Woodwell,  Enoch  Hale, 
Johnson  Lunt,  and  Cutting  Lunt.  It  ought  to  be  mentioned,  that 
another  company  manned  the  town  barge,  and  proceeded  down 
river  on  the  same  design,  but,  starting  at  a  later  hour,  met  the  ship 
within  the  bar,  on  her  way  up  to  the  wharf.  These  two  vessels, 
the  brig  Sukey,  and  the  ship  Friends,  were  the  first  prizes  brought 
into  Newburyporl.  Captains  Bowie  and  Engs,  boarded  for  some 
time  at  Davenport's  tavern.  The  former  returned  to  England r 
while  the  latter  concluded  to  stay  in  New  England,  and  afterward 
commanded  a  privateer  from  Newburyport. 

The  preceding  information  is  derived  from  various  sources,  but 
principally  from  a  communication  from  Benjamin  Hale,  esquire, 
postmaster  of  Newburyport,  whose  father  was  one  of  the  party  who 
captured  the  ship. 

February   Wth.      The  Yankee    Hero,   captain   ,  took,   and 

brought  into  Newburyport,  a  bark  of  three  hundred  tons,  loaded 
with  coal,  pork,  and  flour. 

March  1st.  The  Yankee  Hero,  captain  Thomas,  brought  into 
Newburyport  brig  Nelly,  captain  Robinson,  from  White  Haven, 
bound  to  Boston,  having  two  hundred  tons  of  coal,  and  ten  tons 
of  potatoes. 

March  13th.  A  committee,  consisting  of  Daniel  Spofford,  Eli- 
phalet  Spofford,  Thomas  Noyes,  Joseph  Brown,  and  Daniel  Chute, 
petition  the  governor  and  council,  to  be  restored  to  the  second  regi- 
ment, and  conclude  by  saying,  '  that  your  petitioners  congratulate 
themselves  that  the  military  arrangement  is  now  in  the  hands  of  a 
government,  which  will  pay  a  sacred  regard  to  justice  and  the  honor 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  253 

of  a  soldier,  which  ought  ever  to  remain  inviolate,  for  insult  and 
disgrace  damp  his  spirits,  blast  his  vigor  and  unnerve  his  arm,'  and 
so  forth. 

April  9th,     Edmund  Sawyer  chosen  town  clerk. 

' April  22d.  Council  determined  the  regiment  composed  of  the 
towns  of  Newburyport,  Amesbury  and  Salisbury  shall  take  rank  as 
the  second  regiment.7  So  far,  therefore,  as  it  respected  Newbury, 
the  petition  was  not  granted. 

May  8th.  Newburyport  voted  to  erect  a  fort  on  Plum  island,  and, 
May  sixteenth,  voted  to  hire  a  sum,  not  exceeding  four  thousand 
pounds,  to  defray  the  expense,  and,  on  May  twenty-third,  Newbury 
appropriated  two  hundred  pounds  for  the  same  purpose. 

May  27th.  Newbury  voted  to  instruct  their  representatives  l  that 
they  after  having  seriously  weighed  the  state  and  case  of  indepen- 
dence, act  their  best  judgment  and  prudence  respecting  the  same.' 

May  31st.  Newburyport  'voted  that  if  the  honorable  congress 
should  for  the  safety  of  the  united  colonies,  declare  them  indepen- 
dent of  the  kingdom  of  Great  Britain,  this  town  will  with  their  lives 
and  fortunes  support  them  in  the  measure.' 

June  7th.  The  Yankee  Hero,  captain  James  Tracy,  had  an  en- 
gagement with  the  Milford  frigate,  of  twenty-eight  guns.  It  lasted 
near  two  hours,  but,  as  the  frigate  was  vastly  superior  in  force,  the 
Hero  struck. 

July  14th.     Mr.  Oliver  Moody  was  drowned  from  a  wharf. 

July  19th.  The  declaration  of  independence  was  published  in 
Newburyport,  and,  on  the  same  day,  died  the  reverend  Jonathan 
Parsons,  in  his  seventy-first  year. 

'•August  llth.     Independency  read  in  all  the  meeting  houses.'  ^ 

In  August,  there  was  a  state  fast. 

In  the  Newburyport  town  records,  September  second,  I  find  the 
following,  in  the  handwriting  of  Nicholas  Pike,  esquire,  town  clerk. 

'  This  meeting  was  illegal,  because  the  venire  for  calling  it  was 
in  the  name  of  the  British  tyrant,  whose  name  all  America  justly 
execrates.' 

1777. 

March  24th.  Town  of  Newbury  this  day  put  it  to  vote,  '  to  see 
if  the  town  would  settle  in  the  seventh  regiment  of  militia  and  it 
passed  in  the  negative,'  notwithstanding  it  was  stated  in  the  warning 
that  «  a  speedy  settlement  of  the  militia  is  a  matter  of  the  greatest 
importance  to  our  political  salvation?  This  refusal  to  do  ^military 
duty  in  the  seventh  regiment,  to  which  they  had  been  degraded  by 
governor  Bernard,  in  March,  1766,  as  has-been  mentioned,  the  sol- 
diers of  Newbury  continued  to  manifest,  throughout  the  whole  of 
the  revolutionary  contest.  The  consequence  of  this  refusal,  was, 
an  entire  absence  of  all  military  subordination,  so  far  as  regimental 

*  S.  Horton's  journal. 


254  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

musters,  and  so  forth,  were  concerned.  This  arose,  not  from  any 
unwillingness  to  serve  their  country,  but  from  a  resolute  determina- 
tion, not  to  train  under  any  officers,  till  they  should  be  restored  to 
their  former  rank,  as  soldiers  of  the  second-,  and  not  the  seventh  reg- 
iment. This  restoration  was  effected  about  the  year  1793.  This 
caused  the  duty  which  would  otherwise  have  devolved  on  the  militia 
officers,  to  be  performed  by  the  selectmen,  and  is,  perhaps,  the  only 
instance  in  the  state,  where  the  selectmen  were  obliged  to  perform 
such  a  service. 

May  21st.  The  town  of  Newburyport  voted  '  to  impower  Jona- 
than Boardman  to  procure  and  exhibit  the  evidence  that  may  be 
had  of  the  inimical  disposition  of  any  person  or  persons  towards 
this,  or  any  of  the  United  States,'  and,  on  Jane  thirtieth,  the  town  of 
Newbury  chose  Samuel  Noyes,  to  do  the  same  service. 

June. 29th.     The  Hessian  prisoners  came  to  town. 

June  30th.  Town  of  Newburyport  'voted  to  allow  the  soldiers 
stationed  at  Plum  island  candles,  and  sweetening  for  their  beer.' 

August.  Some  time  this  month,  the  old  church,  called  queen 
Anne's  chapel,  having  been  unoccupied  as  a  meeting-house  after 
1766,  fell  down.  It  was  on  the  sabbath,  a  calm  and  sultry  day. 
The  pews  and  galleries  had  been  removed  some  time  before,  and 
other  parts  had  disappeared,  piece  by  piece,  till  there  was  not 
enough  left  to  hold  the  frame  together. 

''August  2lst.  Captain  William  Friend  in  a  sixteen  gun  ship, 
called  the  Neptune,  built  in  Mr.  Cross's  yard,  sailed,  and,  when 
about  a  league  from  the  bar,  overset  and  sunk  in  sixteen  fathoms  of 
water,  having  on  board  sixty  hands,  only  one  drowned.'  ^ 

1  October  23d.  Great  numbers  of  cannon  were  fired  on  account 
of  Burgoyne's  defeat,  which  was  October  seventeenth,  and  on  De- 
cember twenty-eighth  a  thanksgiving  throughout  the  United  States, 
on  the  same  account.'  ^ 

1778. 

February  12th.  Newbury  voted,  nem.  con.,  *  we  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town  of  Newbury  do  hereby  give  our  representatives  instruc- 
tions to  acquiesce  in  and  comply  with  the  articles  of  confederation, 
as  we  have  received  them  from  the  honorable  continental  congress.' 

March  26th.  The  town. of  Newburyport  'voted  that  this  town 
are  of  opinion  that  the  mode  of  representation  contained  in  the 
constitution  lately  proposed  by  the  convention  of  this  state,  is  une- 
qual and  unjust,  as  thereby  all  the  inhabitants  of  this  state  are  not 
equally  represented,  and  that  some  other  parts  of  the  same  consti- 
tution are  not  founded  on  the  true  principles  of  government ;  and 
that  a  convention  of  the  several  towns  of  this  county  by  their  dele- 
gates, will  have  a  probable  tendency  to  reform  the  same  agreeably 
to  the  natural  rights  of  mankind  and  the  true  principles  of  govern- 
ment.' 

*  Mr.  Samuel  Horlon's  diary. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  255 

*  Voted  that  the  selectmen  be  desired,  in  behalf  and  in  the  name 
of  the  town,  to  write  circular  letters  to  the  several  towns  within  the 
county,  proposing  a  convention  of  those  towns,  by  their  delegates 
to  be  holden  at  such  time  and  place  as  the  selectmen  shall  think 
proper:  in  said  circular  letters  to  propose  to  each  of  the  towns 
aforesaid,  to  send  the  like  number  of  delegates  to  said  convention, 
as  the  same  towns  have  by  law  right  to  send  representatives  to  the 
general  court.' 

'  Accordingly  the  most  eminent  citizens  of  this  ancient  and  lead- 
ing county  assembled  at  Ipswich  and  instituted  an  elaborate  exam- 
ination of  the  intended  constitution,  which  was  printed  with  the 
title  of  the  Essex  Result.  The  effect  of  this  pamphlet,  which  is  at- 
tributed to  the  mighty  mind  of  Theophilus  Parsons,  [a  native  of 
Newbury,]  then  resident  in  Newburyport^  was  perfectly  decisive  of 
the  question.  The  town  unanimously  voted  to  reject  the  proposed 
form  of  government ;  and  suggested  the  expediency  of  calling  a 
new  convention  for  the  sole  purpose  of  framing  a  constitution  more 
worthy  of  Massachusetts.'  # 

March  3Qth.  Town  of  Newbury  voted  to  grant  the  petition  of 
several  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  '  westerly  part  of  the  town,  wTho 
are  desirous  of  being  set  off  into  a  separate  township.' 

From  March  tenth,  1777,  to  August  twenty-second,  1778,  the 
town  of  Newbury  passed,  considered,  and  reconsidered,  many  votes 
respecting  inoculation  for  the  small  pox,  and  were  much  divided 
and  excited  on  the  subject.  A  hospital  was  for  some  time  kept,  on 
Kent's  island,  but,  on  August  twenty-second,  the  town  voted  to  pe- 
tition that '  the  small  pox  may  be  discontinued  in  Newbury  by  inoc- 
ulation.' • 

December  30th.     Thanksgiving  through  the  United  States. 

1779. 

March  9th.  The  town  voted  that  <  the  unanimous  thanks  of  the 
town  be  given  to  Samuel  Moody  esquire  for  his  generous  donation 
of  one  hundred  pounds  at  this  time,  and  of  twenty  pounds  some 
time  past  for  the  purpose  of  a  growing  fund  for  a  grammar  school 
being  kept  in  the  town  for  the  instruction  of  youth.' 

July  25th.  An  armament,  consisting  of  twenty  sail,  besides 
twenty-four  transports,  appeared  off  Penobscot,  destined  to  dislodge 
the  enemy,  but  proved  exceedingly  disastrous.  The  Pallas,  Sky 
Rocket,  and  so  forth,  sailed  from  Newburyport.  Colonel  Moses 
Little,  of  Newbury,  was  at  first  appointed  to  command  the  expedi- 
tion, but  declined',  on  account  of  ill  health.  '  August  fifteenth, 
British  recruits  came  to  Penobscot.  American  forces  ran  up  river 
and  burned  their  own  shipping.'  f 

In  this  year,  the  business  of  chaise  making  was  introduced  into 
Newbury,  by  James  Burgess.  The  first  regular  builders,  were  Na-. 

*  Cushing's  history  of  Newburyport.  t  S,  Horton's  journal. 


256  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

thaniel  and  Abner  Greenleaf.  In  Belleville,  the  business  was  com- 
menced by  Samuel  Greenleaf,  in  1792,  by  Joseph  Ridgway,  in 
1793,  by  Robert  Dodge,  in  1795,  and  by  Samuel  Rogers,  in  1796. 

November  ll£/i.  '  The  town  of  Newbury  voted  unanimously 
that  they  approve  of  and  accept  the  proceedings  of  the  late  conven- 
tion held  at  Concord  in  October  regulating  the  prices  of  merchandise 
and  country  produce.' 

This  alludes  to  an  unavailing  attempt,  to  fix  a  price  on  labor, 
provisions,  and  all  kinds  of  commodities,  by  legislative  enactments. 
In  the  preceding  year,  the  general  court  had  passed,  from  the  best 
of  motives,  '  an  act  to  prevent  monopoly  and  oppression,'  and  the 
towns  of  Newbury  and  Newburyport,  had,  in  pursuance  of  this  act, 
adopted  and  published  a  scale  of  prices,  affixed  to"  all  the  articles 
they  had  for  sale,  and  also  all  kinds  of  labor.  These  prices  were 
never  to  be  exceeded.  No  imported  goods,  except  hemp  and  war- 
like stores,  should  be  sold  at  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
sterling,  on  one  hundred  pounds  prime  cost,  and  no  retailer  should 
make  an  advance  of  more  than  twenty  per  centum  on  the  wholesale 
price.  All  these  regulations,  were,  of  course,  entirely  futile,  as  they 
could  not  be  enforced.  They  were  therefore  abandoned.  The 
price  of  cotton,  for  instance,  was  established  at  '  three  shillings  per 
pound  by  the  bag  and  three  shillings  and  eightpence  by  the  single 
pound.  Barbers,  once  shaving  threepence.  Dinner  boiled  and 
roasted  without  wine  one  shilling  and  sixpence.  Supper  or  break- 
fast one  shilling.  Lodging  fourpence/  A  pound  of  cotton,  would, 
at  this  time,  purchase  two  dinners,  one  night's  lodging,  once  shaving, 
and  leave  one  penny  overplus.  How.  many  pounds  of  cotton  would 
it  take  now,  1845,  to  procure  the  same  amount  ? 

December  9th.     Thanksgiving  in  all  the  states.^' 

December  15th.  Earthquake  very  loud  abou'  half  past  eleven 
o'clock.^ 

Some  time  this  year,  a  wolf  came  into  captain  Israel  and  Liphe 
Adams's  yard,  and  killed  five  sheep.  He  was  killed  by  Moses  Ad- 
ams. No  wolf  has  since  been  seen  in  Newbury. 


1780. 

The  winter  of  1780,  was  unusually  severe.  For  forty  days,  thirty- 
one  of  which  were  the  month  of  March,  there  was  no  perceptible 
thaw  on  the  southerly  side  of  any  house,  and  so  deep  and  hard  was 
the  snow,  that  loaded  teams  passed  over  walls  and  fences,  in  any 
direction. 

March.  The  constitution  of  Massachusetts  was  framed.  The 
first  article  in  the  declaration  of  rights,  is,  <  all  men  are  born  free 
and  equal.'  This  was  inserted,  with  the  intent,  and  for  the  purpose, 
of  entirely  abolishing  slavery.  Prior  to  the  revolution,  several  slaves 

*  S.  Horton's  journal. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  257 

had  sued  their  masters  for  detaining  them  in  slavery,  one  in  Cam- 
bridge, in  1770,  and  one  in  Newburyport,  Caesar  against  his  master, 
Richard  Greenleaf,  in  September,  1773.  In  all  these  cases,  the 
courts  decided  in  favor  of  the  slave.  In  1781,  a  case  occurred  in 
Worcester,  in  which  the  supreme  federal  court  decided,  that  slavery 
\v;is  abolished  by  the  constitution. 

May  29th.  The  committee  of  twenty-five1  chosen  on  the  fifteenth 
instant,  made  their  report  concerning  'the  frame  of  government 
now  offered  to  the  people  and  the  town  after  proposing  a  few  amend- 
ments and  adopting  nearly  every  article,  unanimously  conclude  by 
saying,  '  they  have  such  a  sense  of  the  excellency  of  the  constitution 
in  general,  that  if  the  amendments  proposed  cannot  be  obtained, 
they  are  of  opinion  that  the  constitution  be  accepted  in  its  present 
form.' '  * 

Newburyport  held  a  meeting  on  the  same  subject,  and,  after  pro- 
posing amendments,  conclude  by  saying,  '  esteeming  it  in  general 
a  wise  and  good  one ;  the  town  do  vote  and  declare  their  approba- 
tion of  the  same  in  its  present  form.'  f 

1  May  1 9th.  This  day  the  most  remarkable  in  the  memory  of  man  for  dark- 
ness. For  a  week  or  ten  days  the  air  had  been  very  thick  and  heavy,  which 
made  the  sun  look  uncommonly  red.  On  the  morning  of  the  nineteenth  the 
sun  was  visible  for  a  short  time  very  early,  but  was  soon  overcast  and  very  black 
clouds  were  seen  to  rise  suddenly  and  very  fast  from  the  west,  the  wind  what 
there  was  of  it  (tho7  hardly  enough  to  move  the  leaves  on  the  trees)  at  south  west. 
The  forementioned  clouds  mixing  with  the  vast  quantities  of  smoke,  occasioned 
by  a  general  burning  of  the  woods,  caused,  in  the  opinion  of  many  this  unusual 
alarming  darkness,  which  began  about  twenty  minutes  before  eleven  o'clock  A. 
M.  and  lasted  the  whole  day.  tho'  not  equally  dark  all  the  time.  It  was  the 
darkest  from  about  twelve  to  one  o'clock.  Afterwards  there  was  a  larger  glin  at 
the  horizon,  which  made  it  somewhat  lighter.  It  was  however  at  the  lightest, 
darker.  I  think  than  a  moonlight  night.  The  sky  had  a  strange  yellowisli  and 
sometimes  reddish  appearance.  The  night  following  was  the  darkest  I  remem- 
ber to  have  seen,  till  about  midnight,  when  a  small  breeze  sprung  up  frt>m  the 
north  or  north  west,  upon  which  it  soon  began  to  grow  light.  At  Falmouth. 
Casco  bay,  it  was  not  dark  at  all.  Upon  Piscataqua  river,  Berwick,  Dover,  and 
so  forth,  it  was  very  rainy,  (very  little  of  which  we  had  here,  which  fell  a  little 
before  it  began  to  grow  dark)  but  not  uncommonly  dark,  as  I  am  told  by  a  per- 
son, who  travelled  there  that  day.  I  hear  of  the  darkness  as  far  as  Danbury  in 
Connecticut.  It  did  not  extend  to  North  river.  The  forementioned  darkness 
was  no  doubt  occasioned  by  an  unusual  concurrence  of  several  natural  causes, 
but  to  pretend  fully  and  clearly  to  account  for  it,  argues  perhaps  too  great  confi- 
dence.7 Bishop  Edward  Bass:s  manuscripts. 

In  the  memoirs  of  the  American  academy,  I  find  the  following. 
*  Candles  wefe  lighted  up  in  the  houses ;  the  birds  having  sung  their 
evening  songs  disappeared  and  became  silent ;  the  fowls  retired  to 
roost ;  the  cocks  were  crowing  all  around,  as  at  break  of  day ;  ob- 
jects could  not  be  distinguished  but  at  very  little  distance  and  every 
thing  bore  the  appearance  and  gloom  of  night.'  On  account  of  the 
remarkable  darkness,  it  is  still  called  '  the  dark  day.' 

November  18th,  twelve  o'clock  ai  night,  there  was  an  earthquake. 

*  Newbury  town  records,  t  Town  records. 

33 


258  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

December  7th.     Thanksgiving  in  all  the  states. 

September.  This  month,  the  most  flagrant  instance  of  treachery 
that  occurred  during  the  revolutionary  war,  was  discovered,  by  the 
apprehension  of  Major  Andre,  a  British  officer,  who  was  executed 
as  a  spy,  October  second.  The  treachery  was,  an  attempt,  by  gen- 
eral Arnold,  to  deliver  up  West  Point  to  the  enemy.  From  a  jour- 
nal kept  by  a  Newbury  soldier,  I  extract  the  following.  '  September 
twenty-fourth.  Pleasant  weather,  hard  duty,  poor  beef.  Our  men 
are  not  allowed  but  six  cartridges  per  man  but  good  barracks. 
Twenty-fifth,  pleasant  weather.  This  day  about  one  o'clock  general 
Washington,  general  Knox,  marquis  La  Fayette  came  to  West 
Point  to  take  a  view  of  the  fort.  They  stayed  about  two  hours, 
and  then  left  the  point.  We  had  thirteen  pieces  of  cannon  dis- 
charged. This  night  Arnold's  plot  was  discovered.  He  had  news 
of  the  British  officer  being  taken.  He  told  his  wife  he  was  a  dead 
man.  He  took  his  horse  and  rode  to  the  ferry  as  soon  as  he  could 
to  his  barge,  when  he  made  the  best  of  his  way  to  a  British  ship. 
The  ship  made  the  best  of  her  way  to  York,  lie  carried  off  John 
Brown  and  Samuel  Pilsbury  of  our  company.  September  twenty- 
sixth.  This  morning  at  one  o'clock  we  manned  our  lines  and  got 
in  readiness  for  action.  Each  man  received  twenty  rounds.  This 
morning  at  three  o'clock  colonel  Meigs's  regiment  of  continental 
troops  arrived.  Twenty-seventh.  This  day  making  ready  to  receive 
the  enemy  as  soon  as  they  come.  This  night  lay  on  our  arms. 
Large  piquet  out.'  % 

1781. 

In  January,  captain  William  Friend  was  cast  away  on  Boon 
island,  and  drowned,  with  six  men. 

March  12th.  Newburyport '  voted  that  the  selectmen  be  directed 
to  cause  one  of  the  bells  to  be  rung  at  one  of  the  clock  in  the  day 
and  at  nine  of  the  clock  at  night  during  the  ensuing  year.' 

1782. 

February.  A  Newburyport  vessel,  captain  Calef,  from  the  West 
Indies,  was  cast  away  on  Plum  island.  Seven  hands  were  lost,  in 
consequence  of  leaving  the  vessel,  and  three  saved  by  staying  on 
board. 

'March  18th.  Town  of  Newburyport  voted  to  accept  of  Union 
street  and  Fair  street  as  laid  out  and  that  the  same  be  recorded.' 

March  2Sth.     Green  street  ditto. 

'June  23d.  Mr.  Edward  Burbeck,  formerly  of  Salem,  was  this 
day,  sabbath  afternoon,  instantly  killed  by  lightning,'  while  standing 
near  a  clock  in  his  chamber.  The  house  in  which  he  died,  stood 
on  the  spot,  now  occupied  by  Messrs.  Richard  and  Daniel  S, 
Tenny's  house. 

*  Joshua  Davis's  journal. 


HISTORY    OP    NEWBURY.  259 

August  9th.      Mr.  Nathaniel  Tracy's  new  house,  old  dwelling 
house,  and  barn,  were  consumed  by  fire. 


1783. 

'February  20th.  No  snow  on  the  ground,  which  is  as  dry  as 
summer.' 

March  12th.     Newburyport  accepted  of  Orange  street  as  laid  out. 

September  3d.  On  this  day,  a  treaty  of  peace  was  signed,  at 
Paris,  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  by  David 
Hartley  and  John  Adams,  esquires,  and,  on  October  thirteenth, 
congress  issued  a  proclamation  for  disbanding  the  army. 

November  29th.     There  was  a  small  earthquake, 

December  30th.  Notice  was  given  in  the  public  journal,  that  two 
beacons  had  been  erected  on  Plum  island,  for  the  benefit  of  vessels. 


1784. 

'March  IQth.  Newburyport  voted  to  build  a  new  work  house, 
where  the  present  work  house  stands,  unless  they  can  procure  a 
more  suitable  place.' 

April  1th.  Reverend  Oliver  Noble  was  dismissed  from  his  church 
and  parish,  at  his  own  request 

'•July  7th.  Daniel  Berry  of  Chester  and  Nathaniel  Ober  of 
Wenham,  were  drowned  at  Newbury  bridge  by  the  upsetting  of  a 
wherry.' 

July  17th.  General  Jonathan  Titcomb  was  chosen  naval  officer 
for  this  year. 

This  summer,  there  was  a  severe  drought. 

The  bridge  over  the  river  Parker,  which  was  built  in  1758,  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Ralph  Cross,  was  this  year  repaired.  It  is  eight 
hundred  and  seventy  feet  long,  twenty-six  feet  wide,  has  nine  solid 
piers,  and  eight  wooden  arches. 

''November  26th.  A  twelve  hours'  storm  raised  the  highest  tide 
within  the  memory  of  the  oldest  man.' 


1785. 

May  13th.  The  town  of  Newburyport  petitioned  the  general 
court  as  follows,  namely : 

'That  in  the  years  1775  and  1776  the  said  town  in  order  to  guard 
and  defend  themselves  and  the  neighbouring  towns  from  the  appre- 
hended invasions  and  attacks  of  the  enemy  then  infesting  the  sea 
coasts,  and  making  depredations  on  the  maritime  towns  of  the  state, 
prepared  and  sunk  a  number  of  piers  in  the  channel  of  Merrimac 
river,  near  the  mouth  thereof ;  they  have  also  built  a  fort  on  the 
Salisbury  side  of  said  river  and  another  fort  on  Plum  island  near 


260  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

the  entrance  of  the  harbor ;  they  constructed  a  floating  battery,  built 
a  barge  and  made  a  number  of  gun  carriages :  the  whole  expense 
whereof  amounted  to  the  sum  of  two  thousand,  four  hundred  and 
thirty-three  pounds,  eight  shillings  and  two  pence.' 

The  petition  concludes  as  follows. 

4  And  as  your  petitioners  are  still  laboring  under  a  very  heavy 
debt,  contracted  for  the  genera]  service  and  defence  of  the  country 
during  the  late  war,  and  in  addition  thereto  have  been  paying  inter- 
est for  the  whole  sum  above  mentioned,  and  are  still  paying  interest 
for  the  same,  they  pray  that  your  honors  will  be  pleased  as  soon  as 
possible  to  take  the  premises  into  your  wise  consideration,  and  order 
the  aforementioned  sum  to  be  paid  them  out  of  the  public  treasury, 
and  thus  far  relieve  them  under  their  distresses.' 

Signed  by  the  selectmen,  '  by  order  and  in  behalf  of  the  town  of 
Newburyport.' 

April  13th.  Merrimac  river  passable  on  the  ice.  April  sixteenth, 
snow  two  feet  deep,  and  frozen  so  hard,  as  to  bear  cattle,  and,  on 
the  nineteenth,  a  snow  storm. 

October  21st.  A  Dutch  ship,  bound  from  Amsterdam  to  New 
York,  was  cast  away  on  Plum  island.  Crew  saved,  vessel  and 
cargo  lost. 

November  16th.  Robert  Laird  and  James  Ferguson,  advertise 
that  they  have  established  a  brewery  opposite  Somerby's  landing. 


1786. 

January  9th.     In  the  morning  an  earthquake. 

July  llth.  Mr.  Stephen  Gerrish  had  his  skull  fractured,  and  Mr. 
Samuel  Kezer,  his  limbs,  by  the  falling  of  some  rocks,  while  stoning 
Mr.  Oliver  Putnam's,  now  the  Messrs.  Ilsleys',  well,  which  was  im- 
mediately covered,  and  so  remained  till  August  twelfth,  when  Mr. 
Abraham  Thurlow,  on  descending  it,  fell  to  the  bottom,  and  expired 
before  he  could  be  rescued.  His  death  was  occasioned  by  the  foul 
air  in  the  well. 

December  6th.  A  slight  shock  of  an  earthquake,  at  a  quarter 
past  four,  P.  M. 

This  year  is  rendered  memorable,  by  an  insurrection,  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  Massachusetts,  headed  by  Daniel  Shays.  One  company, 
fifty-five  in  all,  commanded  by  captain  Edward  Longfellow,  went 
from  Newbury.  They  enlisted  for  sixty  days,  and  left  home  Decem- 
ber twelfth.  Two  of  the  company  are  still  living  —  deacon  Moses 
Brown,  and  Silas  Moulton,  West  Newbury. 

November  \kth.  The  town  of  Newbury  'voted  to  settle  the 
militia  in  said  town,  provided  that  they  be  Styled  the  independent 
regiment.1 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  261 


1787. 

4  The  west  wind  blew  steadily  from  November  thirtieth  1786  to 
March  twentieth  of  this  year  with  only  four  slight  interruptions.'  * 

This  year,  the  Hessian  fly,  so  destructive  to  wheat,  made  its  first 
appearance  in  New  England,  entering  Connecticut  from  New  York.* 

April  4th.  This  day,  there  was  a  '  spinning  match '  at  the  house 
of  the  reverend  Mr.  Murray,  to  whom  were  given  two  hundred  and 
thirty-six  skeins  of  thread  and  yarn.  The  meeting  was  in  the  i  par- 
sonage house,  every  apartment  of  which,'  says  the  Essex  Journal, 
\vas  full.  The  music  of  the  spinning  wheel  resounded  from  every 
room.  It  was  truly  a  pleasing  sight.  Some  spinning,  some  reeling, 
some  carding  the  cotton,  some  combing  the  flax.  The  labors  of  the 
day  were  concluded  about  five  o'clock.  Public  worship  was  attend- 
ed,' and  a  discourse  delivered  by  the  pastor,  from  Exodus  35 :  25. 
4  And  all  the  women  that  were  wise  hearted  did  spin  with  their  hands/ 

May  loth.  Town  of  Newburyport voted,  that ' Fish  street'  shall 
hereafter  be  called  c  State  street.' 

This  year,  congress  made  a  grant  for  lights  on  Plum  island,  and, 
on  September  fifteenth,  Newburyport  granted  permission  to  William 
Bartlet,  and  others,  to  appoint  a  man  to  live  on  Plum  island,  to  take 
care  of  the  fort. 

September  Ylih.     Federal  constitution  unanimously  accepted. 


1788. 
From  the  Essex  Journal  I  transcribe  the  following,  namely  : 

1  Newburyport,  February  13th,  1788.  On  Thursday  last  we  had  the  pleasing 
account  of  the  ratification  of  the  new  constitution  by  the  convention  of  this  com- 
monwealth. A  general  joy  diffused  itself  through  all  ranks  of  people  in  this 
town  on  this  glorious  news.  We  heartily  congratulate  our  readers  on  this  aus- 
picious event,  rendered  peculiarly  happy  in  the  prospect  it  affords  that  our  sister 
state  of  New  Hampshire,  whose  interests  and  whose  dispositions  are  so  similar 
to  our  own?  will  have  an  additional  inducement  to  add  a  seventh  pillar  to  the 
great  federal  edifice  already  so  far  advanced. 

•  On  Friday  afternoon  the"  principal  gentlemen  of  the  trade  and  officers  of  the 
militia  of  the  town,  being  informed  that  the  delegates  from  this  town  and  New- 
bury were  on  their  way  home,  and  being  disposed  to  show  some  mark  of  their 
satisfaction  at  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  and  of  their  warm  approbation 
of  the  conduct  of  those  honorable  and  worthy  gentlemen  in  convention,  met 
them  at  Newbury  green,  and  escorted  them  into  town,  where  they  were  received 
amidst  the  acclamations  of  a  numerous  collection  of  their  applauding  fellow- 
citizens.' 

This  year,  a  deer  was  tracked  from  Ash  street,  in  west  Newbury, 
to  cape  Ann  woods,  by  Messrs.  Silas  Moulton  and  Abraham  Adams, 
who  were  unable  to  find  him.  In  the  same  year,  the  same  persons 
killed  one  hundred  and  eighty  common  foxes,  and  two  silver  gray 
foxes. 

*  Dwight's  travels. 


262  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

March  26th.  i  Kent  street  was  allowed  and  approved  as  laid  out,' 
by  the  town  of  Newburyport. 

1789. 

October  2Sth.  The  town  of  Newburyport  this  day  held  a  meet- 
ing, to  make  suitable  arrangements  for  the  reception  of  the  president 
of  the  United  States,  general  George  Washington.  They  published 
a  handbill,  commencing  thus : 

'Newburyport,  October  28th,  1789. 

f  As  this  town  is  on  Friday  next  to  be  honored  with  a  visit  from  '  the  man  who 
unites  all  hearts/  THE  ILLUSTRIOUS  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  the 
inhabitants  thereof  this  day  in  town  meeting  assembled,  have  agreed  to  the 
following  order  of  procession.' 

Here  follow  the  names  of  thirty-five  classes  of  persons,  with  di- 
rections as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  procession  should  move. 
From  the  Essex  Journal  and  New  Hampshire  Packet,  of  November 
fourth,  I  make  the  following  extract. 

'Newburyport,  November  4th.  Friday  last  the  beloved  PRESIDENT  of  the 
UNITED  STATES  made  his  entry  into  this  town;  and  never  did  a  person  appear 
here,  who  more  largely  shared  the  affection  and  esteem  of  its  citizens.  He 
was  escorted  here  by  two  Companies  of  Cavalry,  from  Ipswich  and  Andover, 
Marshall  Jackson,  the  High  Sheriff  of  the  County  of  Essex,  the  Honorable 
Tristram  Dalton,  Esquire,  Major  General  Titcomb,  and  a  number  of  other 
officers,  as  well  as  several  gentlemen  from  this  and  some  neighbouring  towns. 
On  his  drawing  near,  lie  was  saluted  with  thirteen  discharges  from  the  Artillery, 
after  which,  a  number  of  young  gentlemen  placed  themselves  before  him,  and 
sang  as  follows : 

'  He  comes !  He  comes !  The  HERO  comes ! 

Sound,  sound  your  Trumpets,  beat,  beat  your  Drums : 

From  Port,  to  Port,  let  Cannons  roar, 

He  's  welcome  to  New-England's  shore. 

Welcome,  welcome,  welcome,  welcome, 

Welcome  to  New-England's  shore ! 

'  Prepare !  Prepare !  your  Songs  prepare, 
Loud,  loudly  rend  the  echoing  air : 
From  Pole  to  Pole,  his  praise  resound, 
For  Virtue  is  with  glory  crown'd. 

Virtue,  virtue,  virtue,  virtue, 

Virtue  is  with  Glory  crown'd ! ' 

'  The  lines  in  the  first  verse,  which  call  for  the  beating  of  drums  and  roaring 
(•of  cannon,  were  instantly  obeyed  after  the  pronunciation  of  each  word  :  and  to 
.the  vocal  was  joined  all  the  instrumental  music  in  both  choruses,  which  were 
repeated  : — "Mien  the  PRESIDENT,  preceded  by  the  several  companies  of  Militia 
and  Artillery  of  this  town,  the  Musicians,  Selectmen,  High  Sheriff,  and  Mar- 
shall Jackson,  passed  the  Ministers.  Physicians,  Lawyers,  Magistrates,  Town- 
officers.  Marine  Society,  Tradesmen  and  Manufacturers,  Captains  of  Vessels, 
Sailors,  School-masters,  with  their  Scholars,  and  so  forth,  and  so  forth,  who  had 
paraded  and  opened  to  the  right  arid  left  for  that  purpose,  each  of  whom,  as  the 
PRESIDENT  passed,  closed  and  joined  in  procession,  which  was  terminated  by 
about  four  hundred  and  twenty  Scholars,  all  with  Quills  in  their  hands,  headed 
by  their  Preceptors  —  Their  motto,  l  We  are  the  free-born  subjects  of  the  United 
States.' 


HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY.  263 

'After  the  PRESIDENT  had  arrived  at  the  house  prepared  for  his  reception,  a 
Feu-de-joy  was  fired  by  the  several  companies  of  Militia ;  and  in  the  evening 
some  Fire-works  and  excellent  Rockets  were  played  off  opposite  thereto.  Much 
praise  is  due  to  the  citizens  of  Newbury-port,  and  others,  assembled  on  the  oc- 
casion, for  their  orderly  behaviour  through  the  day  and  evening. 

1  Saturday  morning  the  PRESIDENT  sat  out  for  Portsmouth  under  the  same 
escort  which  conducted  him  to  this  town,  to  which  were  added,  a  large  number 
of  military  and  other  gentlemen  of  Newbury-port.  who  accompanied  him  to 
the  line  of  New -Hampshire,  where  he  was  met  by  his  Excellency  General 
Sullivan,  President  of  the  State  of  New- Hampshire,  with  four  companies  of 
Light-horse,  who  conducted  him  to  Portsmouth. 

'  The  PRESIDENT  passed  through  the  towns  of  Amesbury  and  Salisbury, 
where  several  companies  of  Militia  were  paraded,  which  saluted  as  he  passed. 

'  The  Marine- Society  of  this  town  prepared  and  decorated  a  handsome  Barge, 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  the  PRESIDENT  across  Merrimack  River,  which  was 
previously  sent  (commanded  by  one  of  the  society)  opposite  to  Amesbury  Ferry, 
where  it  waited  his  arrival.  The  Barge-men  were  all  dressed  in  white. 

1  On  the  PRESIDENT'S  crossing  the  river  at  Amesbury.  he  was  paid,  by  Captain 
Joseph  A.  de  Murrietta,  of  Tenerlffe.  the  Salute  of  his  Nation,  (twenty-one  guns) 
his  ship  being  elegantly  dressed.  We  cannot  but  admire,  among  the  many  ami- 
able traits  in  the  PRESIDENT'S  character,  that  of  his  politeness  to  Foreigners, 
which  was  repeated  on  this  occasion. 

•'  Soon  after  the  PRESIDENT'S  arrival  in  this  town,  he  was  presented  with  the 
following  Address. 

1  To  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

1  SIR  :  When,  by  the  unanimous  suffrages  of  your  countrymen,  you  were 
called  to  preside  over  their  public  councils,  the  citizens  of  the  town  of  Newbu- 
ry-port participated  in  the  general  joy,  that  arose  from  anticipating  an  adminis- 
tration conducted  by  the  man,  to  whose  wisdom  and  valor  they  owed  their 
liberties. 

1  Pleasing  were  their  reflections,  that  he,  who,  by  the  blessing  of  Heaven,  had 
given  them  their  independence,  would  again  relinquish  the  felicities  of  domes- 
tic retirement,  to  teach  them  its  just  value. 

'  They  have  seen  you,  victorious,  leave  the  field,  followed  with  the  applauses 
of  a  grateful  country  ]  and  they  now  see  you,  entwining  the  Olive  with  the 
Laurel,  and,  in  peace,  giving  security  and  happiness  to  a  people,  whom  in  war7 
you  covered  with  glory. 

1  At  the  present  moment,  they  indulge  themselves  in  sentiments  of  joy,  result- 
ing from  a  principle,  perhaps  less  elevated,  but.  exceedingly  dear  to  their  hearts, 
from  a  gratification  of  their  affection,  in  beholding  personally  among  them,  the 
Friend,  the  Benefactor,  and  the  Father  of  their  country. 

*  They  cannot  hope,  Sir,  to  exhibit  any  peculiar  marks  of  attachment  to  your 
person ;  for,  could  they  express  their  feelings  of  the  most  ardent  and  sincere 
gratitude,  they  would  only  repeat  the  sentiments,  which  are  deeply  impressed 
upon  the  hearts  of  all  their  fellow-citizens  :  but.  in  justice  to  themselves,  they 
beg  leave  to  assure  you,  that,  in  no  part  of  the  United  States,  are  those  senti- 
ments of  gratitude  and  affection  more  cordial  and  animated,  than  in  the  town, 
which,  at  thia  time,  is  honored  with  your  presence. 

1  Long,  Sir,  may  you  continue  the  ornament  and  support  of  these  States,  and 
may  the  period  be  late,  when  you  shall  be  called  to  receive  a  reward,  adequate- 
to  your  virtues,  which  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  your  country  to  bestow.' 

'  To  the  foregoing  Address  the  PRESIDENT  was  pleased  to  reply  as  follows. 

1  To  the  Citizens  of  the  town  of  Newbury-port. 

(  GENTLEMEN  :  The  demonstrations  of  respect  and  affection  which  you  are 
pleased  to  pay  to  an  individual,  whose  highest  pretension  is  to  rank  as  your 
fellow-citizen.  are  of  a  nature  too  distinguished  not  to  claim  the  warmest  return 
that  gratitude  can  make. 


264  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

'My  endeavours  to  be  useful  to  my  country  have  been  no  more  than  the  result 
of  conscious  duty.  Regards  like  yours,  would  reward  services  of  the  highest 
estimation  and  sacrifice  :  Yet.  it  is  due  to  my  feelings,  that  I  should  tell  you 
those  regards  are  received  with  esteem,  and  replied  to  with  sincerity. 

'  In  visiting  the  town  of  Newbury-port,  I  have  obeyed  a  favorite  inclination, 
arid  I  am  much  gratified  by  the  indulgence.  In  expressing  a  sincere  wish  for 
its  prosperity,  and  the  happiness  of  its  inhabitants,  I  do  justice  to  my  own  senti- 
ments and  their  merit. 

G.  WASHINGTON.' 

President  Washington  came  into  town,  over  the  river  Parker 
bridge.  On  reaching  the  upper  green,  he  left  his  carriage,  and 
mounted  his  horse.  At  South  street,  he  was  stopped,  and  the  pre- 
ceding ode  sung.  He  was  then  escorted  to  Newburyport,  where 
he  received  the  address,  which  was  written  by  John  Quincy  Adams, 
then  a  student  at  law,  in  the  office  of  Theophilus  Parsons,  esquire, 
who  had  been  appointed  by  the  town  of  Newburyport  to  prepare  it. 

'November  16//i.  This  has  been  a  day  of  much  animation,  for 
carriages  and  foot  people  have  been  constantly  passing  to  see  a 
whale,  which  some  fishermen  found  at  sea  and  towed  up  to  Old 
town  bridge.'  ^  It  was  about  sixty  feet  long. 


1  790. 

According  to  the  census  this  year,  Newbury  had  five  hundred 
and  thirty-eight  houses,  seven  hundred  and  twenty-three  families, 
and  three  thousand,  nine  hundred,  and  seventy-two  inhabitants. 

Newburyport  had  six  hundred  and  sixteen  houses,  nine  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  families,  and  four  thousand,  eight  hundred  and  thir- 
ty-seven inhabitants.  At  this  time,  the  town  owned  six  ships,  forty- 
five  brigantines,  thirty-nine  schooners,  and  twenty-eight  sloops. 
Total,  eleven  thousand,  eight  hundred  and  seventy  tons. 

In  this  year,  only  four  chaises  were  owned  in  the  first  parish  of 
Newbury,  and  were  in  the  possession  of  the  reverend  John  Tucker, 
Silas  Little,  esquire,  Silas. Pearson,  and  deacon  Daniel  Hale. 

Ma/rch  9th.  Newburyport  voted  to  build  a  school-house  about 
thirty  feet  by  forty,  '  near  the  hay  scales.' 

April.  John  Wheelwright  was  drowned  from  a  vessel  at  the 
wharf. 

Stephen  Cross  was  this  year  appointed  collector,  Jonathan  Tit- 
comb  naval  officer,  and  Michael  Hodge  surveyor  of  the  port  of 
Newburyport. 

1791. 

March  22d.     Newburyport  voted  to  accept  the  following  report. 

1  The  committee  have  supposed  it  necessary,  and  therefore  report  that  three 
or  four  women's  schools  shall  be  opened  in  some  rooms  hired  for  the  purpose, 

*  Miss  Alice  Tucker's  diary. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  265 

at  convenient  distances  from  each  other,  in  different  parts  of  the  town  ;  and  that 
some  well  instructed  school  dames  shall  be  appointed  for  each  to  take  charge 
of  the  younger  classes  of  the  female  children,  to  learn  them  g  >od  manneis,  and 
proper  decency  of  behaviour,  and  to  teach  them  their  letters  how  to  put  them 
together  in  syllables,  to  learn  them  to  spell,  and  finally  to  read  with  clearness 
and  precision  any  chapter  in  the  bible.  To  these  instructions  perhaps  may  be 
well  added,  where  the  parents  shall  desire  it,  the  teaching  plain  or  common 
needle  work  and  knitting.'  April,  1790. 

The  scholars  were  to  be  between  five  and  nine  years  of  age. 

June  1st.  Nathaniel  Carter,  of  Newburyport,  and  eight  others, 
petition  for  liberty  to  build  a  bridge  over  Merrimac  river,  at  Deer 
island.  Juno  thirteenth,  order  of  notice  was  given. 

June  and  July.  A  canal,  one  mile  and  a  quarter  long,  to  connect 
two  rivers,  was  dug,  to  promote  inland  navigation  between  .New- 
buryport and  Hampton,  New  Hampshire. 

In  October  of  this  year,  a  bear  was  seen  in  Bradford  woods. 
On  Saturday  night,  he  visited  the  west  parish  in  Newbury,  crossed 
lisle  y's  hill,  and  was  killed,  on  sabbath  morning,  by  Amos  Emery, 
on  Emery's  hill. 

November  4th.  Town  of  Newbury  opposed  building  of  a  bridge 
over  the  Merrimac  river,  at  Deer  island,  and,  on  November  thirtieth, 
reconsidered  that  vote,  and,  on  December  fifteenth,  reconsidered 
their  reconsideration,  and  instructed  their  representative  10  oppose  it. 

From  May  twenty-fifth,  1790,  to  November  nineteenth,  1791,  the 
number  of  vessels  cleared  from  Newburyport,  was  one  hundred  and 
seventy-nine. 

In  the  Newburyport  Herald,  of  January  twelfth  of  this  year,  I 
find  an  account  oHhe  establishment  of  Sunday  schools  in  Philadel- 
phia, by  some  benevolent  persons  in  the  city,  with  this  comment. 
*  Pity  their  benevolence  did  not  extend  so  far  as  to  afford  them  tuition 
on  days  when  it  is  lawful  to  follow  such  pursuits,  and  not  thereby 
lay  a  foundation  for  the  profanation  of  the  sabbath.' 


1792. 

January  9th.  Town  of  Newbury  sent  a  long  remonstrance  to 
the  general  court,  against  the  erection  of  a  bridge  over  Merrimac 
river. 

May  10th.  '  Newburyport  voted  not  to  have  arithmetic  in  the 
two  extremes  of  the  town,  but  in  the  centre  grammar  school  only.' 

May  16th.  Newburyport  again  voted  to  send  a  petition  to  the 
general  court,  praying  ;  that  the  town  may  be  reimbursed  the  expen- 
ces  of  sinking  piers,  building  a  fort,'  and  so  forth. 

September  10th.  Town  of  Newburyport  'voted  not  to  grant  the 
petition  of  Anthony  Mors  and  others  requesting  leave  to  make  use 
of  the  town  house  for  the  reverend  Charles  W.  Milton  to  preach  in.' 

November  26th.  On  this  day,  Essex  Merrimac  bridge  was 
opened  for  the  public.  '  It  consisted  in  fact  of  two  bridges  resting 
on  Deer  island  in  the  midst  of  the  river.'  It  was,  when  finished, 
34 


266  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

one  thousand  and  thirty  feet  long,  thirty-four  wide ;  height  of  arch 
above  high  water  mark,  thirty-seven  feet,  and  contained  six  thousand 
tons  of  timber.  It  was  built  in  seven"  months,  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Timothy  Palmer,  of  Newburyport,  a  native  of  Boxford. 


1793. 

March.  A  cod  fish  was  sold  in  Newburyport,  weighing  ninety- 
eight  pounds,  five  feet  and  a  half  in  length,  and  girth  at  the  thickest 
place,  three  feet  four  inches. 

April  1st.     Newburyport  *  voted  to  build  a  new  work  house.' 

May  7th.  Newbury  '  voted  that  no  person  be  allowed  to  put  a 
seine,  hedge,  weir,  or  drag  net  into  the  river  Parker  at  any  season 
for  the  purpose  of  fishing  for,  or  catching  of,  any  bass,  shad  or  ale- 
wives  in  said  river,  and  that  no  person  catch  any  of  said  fish  with 
a  dip  net  or  any  other  way  from  December  first  to  April  first.' 

March  13th.     Reverend  John  Murray  died. 

June  llth,  1793.  A  meeting-house  was  this  day  raised,  sixty- 
seven  feet  by  sixty,  in  Temple  street,  for  a  society  gathered  by  the 
labors  of  the  reverend  Charles  W.  Milton. 

July  Mh.  '  This  day,'  says  the  Essex  Journal,  '  Timothy  Dexter 
delivered  an  oration  at  Essex  Merrimac  bridge,  which  for  elegance 
of  style,  propriety  of  speech,  and  force  of  argument,  was  truly 
Ciceronian.' ! ! 

July  6th.  The  town  of  Ipswich  was  visited  by  a  severe  hail 
storm,  which  broke,  in  a  few  moments,  four  thousand,  nine  hundred 
and  forty-six  panes  of  glass.  Many  of  the  stones  were  as  large  as 
hens'  eggs. 

October  18th.  Captain  Timothy  Newman,  of  Boston,  son  of 
doctor  John  Newman,  of  Newburyport,  was  taken  by  an  Algerine 
corsair,  chained,  handcuffed,  and  allowed  nothing  but  bread  and 
water. 

In  December,  doctor  William  B.  Leonard  offers  his  services,  as 
a  physician,  to  the  good  people  of  Newburyport.  He  states,  that 
he  has  been  a  physician  thirty-five  years,  and  that '  a  kind  Providence 
has  enabled  him  to  spring  out  of  the  iron  chains  of  tyranny,  horror, 
devastation  and  murder  to  the  only  summit  of  liberty  under  the  sun 
and  where  the  diadem  of  a  despot  was  hurled  down  to  the  bottom- 
less abyss.' ! ! 

This  year,  a  hospital  was  built,  in  common  pasture,  by  Newbury- 
port, in  which  the  inhabitants  were  admitted,  by  classes,  in  order  to 
be  inoculated  for  the  small  pox,  under  the  care  of  doctor  Charles 
Coffin,  junior. 

August  1th.  Newburyport  '  voted  unanimously  that  in  the  opin- 
ion of  this  town  the  neutrality  of  the  United  States  during  the  war 
now  waged  by  the  several  belligerent  powers  in  Europe  is  consistent 
with  the  honor  and  good  faith  of  our  government,  and  not  repug- 
nant to  any  of  the  treaties  now  existing  between  the  United  States 
and  any  of  those  powers.' 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  267 


1794. 

February  19 th.  Town  voted  to  set  off  the  three  north  westerly 
parishes,  into  a  separate  town,  by  themselves,  and  to  choose  a  com- 
mittee of  nine  persons,  to  see  it  equitably  done,  and,  on  April  sev- 
enth, voted  to  choose  a  committee,  to  petition  the  general  court  to 
set  them  off,  and,  April  twenty-third,  reconsidered  it,  one  hundred 
and  eighty  to  five. 

In  June  of  this  year,  the  first  incorporated  woolen  factory  in 
Massachusetts,  was  erected,  at  the  falls  of  the  river  Parker,  in  New- 
bury.  The  machinery  was  made  in  Newburyport,  by  Messrs.  Stan- 
dring,  -Armstrong,  and  Guppy. 

'  Very  dry  summer.  The  brooks  did  not  begin  to  fill  up  till  Oc- 
tober twenty-seventh,  nor  the  grist  mills  to  grind  corn.'  Stephen 
Brown! s  journal 

May  13th.  Newrburyport  c  unanimously  past  a  resolution  to  this 
effect.  That  in  their  opinion  the  embargo  ought  to  be  continued, 
and  it  was  their  wish  it  might  be,  as  long  as  the  public  exigencies 
require  it.' 

July  19th.  Eight  persons,  belonging  to  the  third  parish  of  New- 
bury,  now  second  in  West  Newbury,  weje  drowned,  while  crossing 
the  Merrimac  in  a  boat.  Their  names  were,  Edmund  Kendrick, 
who  left  a  wife  and  three  children,  Sarah  Brown,  Mercy  Pilsbury, 
Alehetabel  Brown,  Nabby  Hale,  Polly,  Rebecca,  and  Joshua  Chase. 
The  last  four  were  children  of  Joshua  Chase.  Six  of  them  were 
carried  to  the  grave  in  one  procession.  A  sermon  was  preached  on 
the  occasion,  by  the  reverend  David  Toppan. 

September  ISth.  Newburyport  passed  two  by-laws,  the  one  to 
prohibit  any  person  from  smoking  any  pipe  or  cigar  in  any  street, 
lane,  or  alley,  under  a  penalty  of  two  shillings  for  every  offence,  the 
other  inflicting  a  like  penalty  on  the  owner  of  l  every  duck  or  goose, 
gander  or  drake  found  in  Frog  pond.' 

This  year,  the  fourth  religious  society  in  Newburyport,  was  incor- 
porated. It  originated  \vith  a  few  individuals,  who  separated  from 
the  first  presbyterian  society,  in  order  to  attend  the  ministry  of  the 
reverend  Charles  W.  Milton,  who  had  been  invited  to  visit  Newbu- 
ryport by  the  reverend  John  Murray,  pastor  of  the  first  presbyterian 
church,  as  the  following  letter  and  extract  will  show. 

1  Newburyport,  April  12th,  1789. 

1  Reverend  sir :  the  news  of  your  mission  by  that  truly  venerable  mother  in 
Israel  made  my  heart  to  leap  for  joy.  The  success  that  has  attended  your  labors 
and  those  of  your  worthy  colleague  since  your  arrival  in  New  Brunswick  has 
drawn  out  the  gratitude  and  praises  of  many  to  Him  with  whom  the  residue  of 
the  spirit  is.  Both  these  things  have  conspired  to  induce  me  to  wish  a  visit 
from  you  to  this  town.  In  this  I  was  encouraged  by  an  overture  in  a  letter  from 
our  pious  and  worthy  mutual  friend,  doctor  Calef,  last  winter,  accompanied  by 
a  very  agreeable  present  of  books  from  yourself.  In  reply  to  the  doctor  I  pressed 
him  to  prevail  with  you  to  come  this  way  in  the  spring,  that  I  might  enjoy  your 
good  assistance  at  our  sacrament  in  May,  and  have  the  comfort  of  having  you 


268  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

with  my  people,  while  I  pursue  a  journey  intended  (D.  V.)  at  that  time.  My 
hopes  were  sanguine  that  captain  Lovett  would  have  brought  you  with  him  this 
last  trip,  but  he  is  returned  without  you,  arid  without  any  news  of  you  or  my 
friend.  I  am  the  more  afflicted  with  the  disappointment  because  it  has  pleased 
God  to  awaken  a  number  in  my  congregation  and  another  in  this  town,  besides 
sundry  places  in  the  vicinity.  In  this  state  of  things  who  can  tell  what  might 
be  the  consequence  if  you  should  be  moved  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  come  over 
and  help  us  ?  I  sincerely  long  for  that  privilege,  and  if  your  other  engagements 
will  permit  it  I  should  be  very  happy  to  receive  you  from  captain  Lovell's  hands 
when  he  returns. 

1  Although  I  have  dated  my  letter  at  Newburyport  I  am  now  writing  at  Ames- 
bury,  snatching  an  opportunity  of  sending  it  on  board  by  an  unexpected  chance, 
lest  the  vessel  should  be  gone  before  I  get  home:  this  prevents  my  sending 
you  three  poor  sermons  of  mine  which  I  lately  printed. 

'  Please  to  make  my  kind  salutations  to  doctor  Calef  and  his  lady.  Tell  him, 
had  I  been  at  home,  my  disappointment  should  not  have  prevented  my  writing 
to  him. 

'  May  the  presence  of  Him,  who  dwelt  in  the  bush  be  ever  with  you.     I  am 
with  genuine  feelings  of  fraternal  love  and  esteem,  reverend  sir, 
Your  unworthy  fellow  servant  in  the  dear  Immanuel, 

JOHN  MURRAY.' 

In  another  letter,  dated  July  twenty-eighth,  1791,  Mr.  Murray 
thus  writes : 

t  From  your  principles,  connections,  and  character,  many  of  my  people,  as 
early  as  they  heard  of  your  corm'ng  to  St.  Johns  began  to  long  for  a  personal 
acquaintance  with  you. 

1  My  own  hearty  concurrence  with  their  desires,  induced  me  once  to  trouble 
you  with  a  letter,  requesting  a  visit  from  you.  Since  that  request  was  known, 
my  people  have  cherished  expectations  of  seeing  you  here.  After  these  had 
been  so  long  frustrated,  it  gave  them  and  me  very  sensible  pleasure  to  find  the 
Centinel  announce  your  arrival  in  Boston  last  week.  Since  that  time  we  have 
not  been  without  hopes  of  your  giving  us  an  earlier  opportunity  of  bidding  you 
welcome  to  Newburyport  as  well  as  to  New  England.' 

In  consequence  of  these  invitations,  Mr.  Milton  came  to  Newbu- 
ryport, preached  for  Mr.  Murray,  and  was  invited  to  settle  in  Ames- 
bury,  but  his  friends,  unwilling  to  lose  his  ministrations,  determined 
to  settle  and  support  him. 

October  6th.  Newburyport  voted  to  have  four  conduits,  '  in  case 
of  fire  and  to  have  a  town  watch  to  consist  of  four  men  for  the  first 
six  months,  and  two  men  for  the  remainder  of  the  year.' 

Newbury  and  Newburyport  were  this  year  surveyed,  and  maps 
were  taken,  which  were  deposited  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of 
state. 

November  6th.  An  organ  was  put  up  in  first  congregational 
church  in  Newburyport. 

November  19th.  Reverend  Daniel  Dana  was  ordained  pastor  of 
the  first  presbyterian  church  and  congregation  in  Newburyport. 
This  caused  a  secession  of  a  considerable  number  of  persons,  who 
formed  the  second  presbyterian  church  in  Newburyport. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  269 


1795. 

March  10/A.  Town  voted,  that  the  inhabitants  of  Newbury  have 
liberty  to  attend  public  worship  where  they  choose,  and  be  exempt 
from  "taxation  elsewhere,  and  to  petition  the  general  court  to  confirm 
the  above  vote. 

In  July  of  this  year,  the  reverend  John  Boddily  came  to  Newhu- 
ryport,  and  was  installed  pastor  of  the  second  presbyterian  church, 
in  1797.  He  was  born  in  Bristol,  England,  April  twelfth,  1755, 
began  to  preach  in  London,  1778,  ordained  at  Weslbury,  November 
eighth,  1780;  thence  he  went  to  Walsal,  thence  to  Wallingford, 
where  he  preached  till  1795.  On  September  nineteenth,  1802,  he 
preached  his  last  sermon,  and  died  November  fourth,  1802,  in  his 
forty-eighth  year. 

This  summer  was  remarkably  moist.  '  Throughout  ten  weeks, 
commencing  from  the  middle  of  June,  it  rained  during  a  greater  or 
less  part  of  half  the  days.  The  peas  in  the  pod  germinated  six 
inches,  and  several  other  seeds  proportionally,  and  more  rain  fell 
during  the  season  than  had  been  known  for  the  preceding  eighty 
years.1  * 

July  2d.  Newburyport  'voted  unanimously  the  thanks  of  the 
town  be  given  to  Mr."  Timothy  Dexter  for  the  generous  offer  he  has 
this  day  made  to  the  town  of  building  a  market  at  his  own  expense.' 

In  this  year,  the  second  presbyterian  society  was  formed,  by  a 
number  of  persons,  for  the  purpose  of  attending  the  ministry  of  the 
reverend  John  Boddily. 

November  26th.  This  day,  trie  bridge  erected  at  '  Holt's  rocks,' 
between  Ne\vbury  and  Haverhill,  and  which  is  called  the  4  Rock's 
bridge,'  was  opened  for  travelers.  It  was  one  thousand  feet  in 
length,  and  was  the  longest  bridge  over  the  Merrimac.  It  had  four 
arches,  a  draw,  and  was  supported  by  five  piers  and  two  abutments. 
It  was  swept  away  by  the  ice,  in  1818. 


1796. 

March  I3th.  l  Newburyport  voted  to  accept  of  *  Harris  street ' 
and  '  Pleasant  street'  as  laid  out  by  the  selectmen,'  and,  on  April 
fourth,  '  voted  to  accept  of  '  Broad  street '  and  '  Essex  street,'  and  to 
build  a  brick  school  house  at  the  southerly  end  of  ihe  mall.' 

May.  In  the  Newburyport  Herald  of  this  month,  appears  the 
confession  and  acknowledgment  of  one  Solomon  Tole,  who  asks 
pardon  for  his  imposition,  having  pretended,  during  a  part  of  his 
fourteen  years'  absence  from  home,  that  he  was  John  Pike,  the  son 
of  John  and  Martha  Pike,  of  Newburyport,  and  had  called  himself 
by  that  name.  His  intended  imposition,  and  the  discovery  of  the 
whole  plot,  by  the  late  John  My  call,  esquire,  would  furnish  ample 

*  Dwight's  travels. 


270  HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY. 

materials  for  an  interesting  pamphlet.  He  was  a  native  of  Epping, 
New  Hampshire. 

In  June  of  this  year,  the  yellow  fever  commenced  its  ravages  in 
Newburyport,  and  between  that  time  and  the  fifth  of  October,  forty- 
four  persons  died. 

December  22d.  Second  presbyterian  church  dedicated.  The 
corner  stone  was  laid  May  sixteenth,  and  the  frame  of  the  building 
raised  June  second. 

1797- 

May  Sth.  Beck  street  and  Ship  street  accepted  by  Newburyport, 
as  laid  out,  and,  on  September  twenty-first,  Spring  street,  land,  on 
October  twelfth,  Lime  street. 

May  9th.     A  large  house  on  Carr's  island  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

This  year,  captain  Carter,  of  brig  Katy,  of  Newburyport,  was 
taken  by  a  French  privateer,  who  took  out  all  the  crew,  except  the 
captain  and  two  men,  and  ordered  her*  to  a  French  port.  They  re- 
took the  vessel,  and  arrived  safe  in  Boston,  July  eleventh. 

August  2Bth.  Mr.  William  Noyes,  aged  twenty-three,  was  thrown 
from  his  horse,  and  so  severely  wounded,  by  a  sythe  which  he  was 
carrying,  that  he  survived  the  accident  but  twenty-four  hours. 

November  Sth.  The  dwelling  house  of  Mr.  Moses  Savery,  who 
was  out  of  town,  was  destroyed  by  fire,  about  one  o'clock  at  night, 

and  his  two  apprentices,  Spencer  Bailey  and Carrier,  were 

consumed  in  the  flames. 

December  5th.  The  grist  and  saw  mills  at  Pine  island,  were 
destroyed  by  fire. 

1798. 

1  From  November  twenty-eighth  1797  till  March  twenty-ninth  of 
this  year,  the  river  Merrimac  was  frozen  over  above  Amesbury  ferry.' 

In  January,  John  Foss,  who  had  been  taken  by  the  Algerines,  in 
the  Polly,  commanded  by  captain  Michael  Smith,  in  1793,  pub- 
lished an  interesting  narrative  of  his  captivity. 

April  30th.  Newburyport,  by  their  appointed  committee,  ad- 
dressed a  complimentary  letter  to  president  Adams,  '  pledging  their 
lives  and  fortunes  to  support  the  measures  judged  necessary  by  the 
president  and  congress,  to  preserve  and  secure  the  happiness,  the 
dignity,  and  the  essential  inrerests  of  the  United  States,'  and  so 
forth,  to  which  the  president  made  an  appropriate  reply,  May  eighth. 

On  June  first,  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  Newburyport,  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  the  honorable  Bailey  Bartlet,  member  of  congress, 
commencing  thus : 

*  Sir,  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  town  have  agreed  to  build 
and  equip  a  ship  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-five  tons  burthen  to  be 
mounted  with  twenty  six  pound  cannon,  and  to  offer  to  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  for  their  use,'  and  so  forth,  and  so  forth. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  271 

The  proposal  was  accepted,  the  keel  laid  July  ninth,  and,  on  Octo- 
ber twelfth,  she  was  launched,  having  been  completed  in  seventy- 
five  working  days,  and  sent  to  sea,  under  the  command  of  captain 
Moses  Brown.  She  was  called  the  Merrimac,  and  having  '  run 
about  five  years,  was  sold  to  the  merchants,  and  was  soon  after 
wrecked  on  cape  Cod.'  % 

December  \th.  <  This  night  Mr.  Richard  Jackman  and  his  son 
about  eleven  years  of  age,  who  went  to  Plum  island  on  the  prece- 
ding day  after  wood  and  were  not  able  to  get  home  with  their  boat 
by  reason  of  the  wind  and  coldness  of  the  night,  made  an  attempt 
to  come  home  by  land,  but  being  chilled  with  the  cold,  died  with 
his  son  in  his  arms,  after  having  got  within  half  a  mile  of  his  own 
house.'  •[• 

1799- 

December  \\ih.     George  Washington  died. 

1800- 

January  2d.  Agreeably  to  previous  arrangements,  a  procession 
was  formed  in  Market  square,  and  moved  thence,  through  State, 
Pleasant,  Green,  Water,  Merrimac,  and  Federal  streets,  up  to  the 
reverend  Daniel  Dana's  meeting-house,,  where  an  eulogy  was 
delivered  by  Thomas  Paine,  A.  M.,  who  afterward  took  the  name 
of  Robert  Treat  Paine,  being  desirous,  as  he  expressed  it, i  of  having 
a  Christian  name.' 

The  stores  in  town  were  closed  and  all  business  suspended.  The 
colors  of  the  shipping  were  at  half  mast,  and  minute  guns  were 
fired,  during  the  march  of  the  procession  to  the  meeting-house, 
which  was  crowded  with  an  attentive  audience. 

February  22d.  This  day  was  observed,  according  to  a  previous 
vote  by  the  parish  of  Byfield,  in  commemoration  of  the  death  of 
Washington,  by  the  tolling  of  the  bell  one  hour  in  the  morning,  an 
oration,  and  so  forth. 

April  9th.     Washington  street  was  laid  out. 

May  22d.  The  corner  stone  of  saint  Paul's  church  was  laid,  with 
masonic  ceremonies.  Underneath  it,  were  deposited  a  variety  of 
medals  and  coins,  with  a  plate,  engraven  in  Hebrew  and  masonic 
characters,  and  another,  with  this  inscription :  '  this  corner  stone  of 
saint  Paul's  church  (founded  A.  D.  1738)  was  laid  by  the  right 
reverend  brother  Edward  Bass,  D.  D.  bishop  of  Massachusetts  and 
rector  of  this  church  assisted  by  the  M.  W.  Samuel  Dunn  esquire, 
G.  master,  the  D.  G.  master,  the  grand  wardens  and  brethren  of  the 
G.  lodge  of  Massachusetts,  on  the  feast  of  the  holy  ascension  in 
the  year  of  grace  MDCCC,  and  of  the  United  States  XXIV.' 

This  year,  Mr.  Timothy  Palmer  was  chosen  surveyor  of  the  high- 

*  Cushing's  history  of  Newburyport.  t  Davis's  journal. 


272  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

ways,  in  Newburyport.  Under  his  skillful  supervision,  the  roads 
and  lanes  of  the  town  assumed  a  new  and  greatly  improved  appear- 
ance. The  first  improvement  of  any  nole,  was  in  High  street,  near 
Frog  pond.  Time  was,  when  at  the  lower  end  of  the  mall,  as  it 
now  stands,  there  was  an  eminence,  on  which  a  windmill  was  erect- 
ed, in  1703,  and  remained  till  1771.  Afterward,  on  the  margin 
of  the  pond,  stood  Crocker's  rope  walk,  and,  al  the  upper  end,  a  pot- 
ash manufactory.  At  the  head  of  Green  street,  there  were  the  old 
gun  house,  and  a  ravine  or  gully,  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in 
length,  and  fifteen  feet  deep  in  the  deepest  place.  The  other  incum- 
brances  having  been  successively  removed,  captain  Edmund  Bartlet 
began,  on  June  twenty-sixth,  to  fill  up  the  gully,  and  in  August,  the 
mall  as  it  now  stands  was  completed,  at  an  expense  of  about  eigh- 
teen hundred  dollars,  of  which  fourteen  hundred  were  generously 
given  by  captain  Bartlet.  For  this  munificence,  he  received  the 
thanks  of  the  town,  and  the  mall  is  called  '  Bartlet  mall/  On  July 
tenth,  Newburyport  voted  to  purchase  the  ground  on  which  then 
stood  the  first  parish  meeting-house.  This  was  effected  at  an  expense 
of  eight  thousand  dollars,  of  which  the  town  paid  four  thousand  and 
four  hundred.  The  remaining  three  thousand  and  six  hundred  dol- 
lars was  collected  by  voluntary  contributions,  and  by  an  assessment 
on  the  owners  of  the  land  near  the  meeting-house.  The  land  thus 
purchased,  received  the  name  of  Market  square. 


1801- 

May.  A  bell  was  given  to  the  second  presbyterian  church  in 
Newburyport,  by  Timothy  Dexter. 

September  27th.  On  this  day,  the  reverend  Thomas  Gary 
preached  for  the  last  time  in  the  meeting-house  in  Market  square. 
The  next  day,  the  building  was  demolished,  a  well  dug  through 
the  solid  rock,  and  the  town  pump  erected,  near  the  spot  where  the 
pulpit  formerly  stood. 

October.  The  new  meeting-house,  erected  in  Pleasant  street, 
for  the  use  of  the  first  church  and  society,  was  this  day  dedicated. 
Sermon  by  the  reverend  John  Andrews. 


1802. 

January  24M.  <  This  day,'  says  the  historian  of  Haverhill,  'the 
weather  was  so  warm  that  the  ice  in  the  Merrimac  moved  with  the 
tide,  and  there  was  but  little  snow  till  February  twenty-second/ 
From  this  day,  for  nearly  a  week,  an  unusual  quantity  of  snow  and 
hail  fell,  so  that,  in  the  opinion  of  doctor  Dwight,  had.it  been  as 
light  as  the  snow  in  1717,  which  was  six  feet  deep,  the  snow  would 
have  been  eight  feet  deep.  So  hard  was  the  crust,  that  loaded 
sleighs  passed  any  where  over  the  fences.  The  honorable  Bailey 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  273 

Bartlet,  Ichabod  Tucker,  and  some  others,  rode  to  Ipswich  over  the 
fences  in  a  large  double  sleigh. 

May  llth.  Town  of  Newbury  '  voted  unanimously  that  the 
erection  of  a  bridge  across  Merrimac  river  from  Salisbury  to  any 
part  of  Newbury  will  not  be  beneficial  to  the  public  at  large,  but  a 
public  injury,'  and  so  forth,  and  also  voted  to  oppose  the  turnpike 
road  going  through  Newbury. 

May  31st.  Newburyport  voted,  that  the  proposed  bridge  and 
turnpike  road  to  New  Hampshire  line,  '  would  be  of  great  public 
utility  and  convenience,'  and  so  forth.  Each  town  voted  to  instruct 
their 'representatives  accordingly. 

In  March  and  October,  Roberts  street  and  Spring  street  were  laid 
out  and  accepted. 

September  22d.  There  was  a  violent  tornado,  the  wind  blowing 
from  south  west  to  north  east,  in  a  vein  of  about  eighty  rods  wide. 
It  swept  away  entirely  from  its  foundation,  the  house  of  Mr.  David 
Bartlet  in  the  west  parish. 

December  13th.  Newbury  voted  to  lay  out  a  four  rod  way,  from 
Essex  Merrimac  bridge  to  Water  street,  at  an  expense  of  one  thou- 
sand and  eighty-two  dollars. 

Merrimac  Humane  Society  was  instituted  this  year. 


1803. 

March  1st.     Active  Fire  Society  formed  in  Newburyport. 

May.  Mail  stage  commenced  running  from  Haverhill  to  New- 
buryport. • 

December  31st.  The  shipping  of  Newburyport  consisted,  at  this 
time,  of  nine  ships,  thirty-two  brigs,  thirty-four  schooners,  and  six- 
teen sloops. 

August  23d.  On  this  day,  the  directors  of  the  Newburyport 
turnpike  commenced  operations.  The  number  of  shares  was  nine 
hundred  and  ninety-five,  which,  at  nearly  four  hundred  and  twenty 
dollars  a  share,  amounted  to  more  than  four  hundred  and  seven- 
teen thousand  dollars.  It  was  completed  in  1806. 

Female  Charitable  Society  was  instituted  June  eighth. 


1804. 

October  2d.  Newburyport  '  voted  unanimously  that  the  town 
will  concur  with  the  honorable  court  of  sessions  in  placing  a  new 
court  house  on  land  between  Frog  pond  and  the  mall  directly 
fronting  Green  street.' 

October  IQth.  There  was  a  severe  storm.  Nearly  one  hundred 
head  of  cattle  were  killed.  Thirty  were  found  dead  in  a  small 
compass. 

35 


274  HISTORY   OF  NEWBURY. 


1805. 

In  this  year,  the  new  court  house  was  erected. 

May.  Newbury  appropriated  two  hundred  dollars,  to  build  two 
engine  houses. 

August.     Charter  street  laid  out  and  accepted. 

This  summer  there  was  a  severe  drought. 

Plum  island  turnpike,  and  the  bridge  over  Plum  island  river,  were 
made  this  year. 

In  November,  there  belonged  to  Newburyport  forty-one  ships, 
sixty-two  brigs,  two  snows,  two  barques,  and  sixty-six  schooners, 
besides  sloops. 

1806. 

May  \tli.  On  this  day,  the  reverend  John  S.  Popkin  preached 
for  the  last  time  in  the  old  meeting-house  in  the  first  parish,  New- 
bury. It  was  torn  down  May  sixth. 

Ju 


une  16£A,  the  day  of  the  total  eclipse  of  the  sun,  the  sills  of  the 
new  meeting-house  were  laid,  and,  on  September  seventeenth,  the 
new  house  was  dedicated. 

This  summer  there  was  a  severe  drought. 

The  amount  of  tonnage  in  the  shipping  of  Massachusetts,,  this 
year,  was  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  and  sixty-one  tons,  of 
which,  thirty-one  thousand,  nine  hundred,  and  forty-one  tons,  was 
owned  in  Newburyport. 

4 

1807. 

September  2lst.  Newburyport  i  voted  that  the  generous  donation 
made  to  the  town  by  the  late  Mr.  Timothy  Dexter  of  two  thousand 
dollars,  the  interest  of  which  he  directed  the  overseers  of  the  poor 
annually  to  distribute  to  such  of  the  poor  of  the  town,  as  are  the 
most  necessitous,  who  are  not  in  the  work  house,  is  an  act  of  benev- 
olence, which  the  town  accept,  and  acknowledge  with  gratitude 
and  thankfulness.7 

November  9lh.  Newburyport  purchased  the  county's  interest  in 
the  court  house,  for  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

December  22d.  Congress  passed  an  act  of  embargo,  by  which 
all  the  ports  of  the  United  States  were  closed  against  the  clearance 
of  all  vessels.  Whatever  may  have  been  said  or  thought  of  the 
propriety  or  impropriety  of  this  act  of  the  general  government,  it  is 
certain  that  the  enforcement  of  the  law  occasioned  great  suffering 
everywhere,  but  particularly  in  commercial  places.  '  Thousands 
of  seamen  were  thrown  out  of  employment  and  the  harbors  of  our 
sea-ports  were  filled  with  dismantled  vessels.'  In  the  language  of 
Fairfield,  *  the  grass-grown  wharves  were  beaten  with  their  decaying 
hulks,  and  the  timid  land-bird  rested  on  their  rotting  shrouds.'  The 
people  of  Newburyport  were  great  sufferers  by  this  measure,  which 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  275 

met,  both  in  Newbury  and  Newburyport,  with  great  opposition,  a 
large  majority  in  both  towns  being  opposed  to  the  policy  of  the 
general  government.  The  votes  in  Newbury  were  this  year  three 
hundred  and  fifty-five  for  Caleb  Strong,  and  for  James  Sullivan  one 
hundred  and  seventy-one,  and  in  Newburyport,  five  hundred  and 
ninety-two  to  two  hundred  and  fifty-one. 


1808. 

June  15th.    Baptist  meeting-house  in  Newburyport  was  dedicated. 

June  27th.     Violent  tornado,  which  did  great  damage. 

August  2d.  The  town  of  Newbury  met,  and,  on  August  ninth, 
the  town  of  Newburyport  met,  to  take  into  consideration  '  the  dis- 
tressing situation  of  our  country  occasioned  by  the  general  embar- 
go,' and  so  forth.  Each  of  the  towns  unanimously  voted,  to  send 
a  petition  to  the  president  of  the  United  States,  which  was  done. 
These  petitions  may  be  found  in  the  town  records,  but  are  too  long 
for  insertion  here. 

September  28th.  The  Andover  institution  was  this  day  opened. 
Mr.  William  Bartlet  having  previously  given  twenty  thousand  dol- 
lars, Mr.  Moses  Brown  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  Mr.  John  Norris 
ten  thousand  dollars,  as  a  capital  fund.  The  two  former  were  of 
Newburyport,  the  latter  of  Salem. 


1809. 

January '12th.  Town  of  Newburyport  had  a  meeting,  and,  after 
having  passed  a  series  of  resolutions,  they  presented  a  memorial  to 
the  general  court  respecting  the  embargo,  and  other  matters.  On 
January  twenty-third,  the  town  of  Newbury  took  the  same  course, 
with  resolves  and  a  memorial  of  like  tenor.  These  resolves  and 
memorials  are  of  great  length,  and  are  written  with  much  spirit  and 
ability.  They  are  too  long  for  publication,  and  an  abbreviation 
would  not  do  them  j  ustice. 

February  9th.  Newburyport  *  voted  to  establish  one  or  more 
soup-houses  for  the  relief  of  the  poor.' 

March  1st.  The  embargo  was  repealed,  but  all  trade  and  inter- 
course with  France  and  England  were  interdicted. 

May  13th.     The  old  town  house  in  Newburyport  was  torn  down. 

December  2Qth.     Merrimac  Bible  Society  was  instituted. 

This  year  the  baptist  meeting-house  was  built,  in  Liberty  street 


1810. 

September  14th.  There  was  another  tornado  in  the  westerly  part 
of  Newbury,  with  much  rain.  It  carried  off  Mr.  David  Ordway's 
barn,  and  did  much  damage  in  Mr.  Joseph  Newell's  wood  lot. 


276  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

November  9th.  In  the  evening,  there  was  a  severe  shock  of  an 
earthquake. 

In  this  year,  there  were  built  on  the  Merrimac  river,  twenty-one 
ships,  thirteen  brigs,  one  schooner,  and  seven  others,  the  total  ton- 
nage of  which,  was  above  twelve  thousand  tons.^ 

Newburyport  Athenaeum  was  incorporated,  and  the  town  hall 
built.  The  Essex  Merrimac  bridge  was  rebuilt  this  year  by  a  Mr. 
Templeman.  It  was  the  first  chain  bridge  in  New  England. 


1811. 

February  2d.  A  great  snow  storm  commenced,  and  continued 
three  days.  It  was  piled  up  in  reefs,  in  some  places  more  than  fif- 
teen feet.f 

February.  First  Baptist  Society  in  Newbury  and  Newburyport 
was  incorporated. 

May  31st.  Friday.  On  this  evening,  about  half  past  nine 
o'clock,  commenced  one  of  the  most  disastrous  fires,  with  which 
Newburyport,  or  perhaps  any  town  in  the  state,  was  ever  visited. 
From  a  pamphlet,  dated  Newburyport,  June  fifth,  1811,  I  make  the 
following  extract. 

'DREADFUL  FIRE! 

1  On  Friday  evening  last,  at  half  past  nine  o'clock,  the  citizens  of  this  town 
were  alarmed  with  the  cry  of  fire,  which  proved  to  have  taken  effect  at  the 
place  where  they  have  so  repeatedly  been  summoned  in  the  course  of  the 
present  season  on  a  similar  occasion  ;  and  where  it  has  for  some  time  past  been 
anxiously  feared  some  vile  incendiary  intended  to  accomplish  the  purpose 
which  is  now  effected.  The  fire  commenced  in  an  unimproved  stable  in 
Mechanic  row,  owned  by  David  Lawrence,  wrhich  at  the  moment  when  the  fire 
was  discovered  was  found  to  be  completely  enveloped  in  flames.  It  soon 
extended  to  the  market  and  to  State  street,  and  spread  in  such  various  direc- 
tions as  to  baffle  all  exertions  to  subdue  it.  In  a  few  hours,  it  prostrated  every 
building  on  the  north  side  of  Cornhill,  and  both  sides  of  State  street  from 
Cornhill  to  the  market ;  it  then  proceeded  into  Essex  street,  on  the  north  east 
side,  to  the  house  of  captain  James  Kettle,  where  it  .was  checked  —  into  Mid- 
dle street  as  far  as  Fair  street  on  the  north-east  side  and  within  a  few  rods 
thereof  on  the  south-west  side  —  into  Liberty  street  within  one  house  of  Inde- 
pendent street,  and  down  Water  street  as  far  as  Hudson's  wharf,  sweeping  off 
every  building  within  that  circle.  The  whole  of  Centre  street  was  laid  in 
ashes,  and  the  whole  range  of  buildings  in  Merchant's  row  on  the  Ferrywharf, 
also  all  the  stores  on  the  several  wharves  between  the  market  and  Marquand's 
wharf,  including  the  latter :  thus  clearing  a  large  tract  of  land  of  sixteen  and  a 
half  acres  in  a  part  of  the  town  the  most  compact,  and  containing  a  much 
larger  proportion  of  the  wealth  of  the  town  than  any  other  part. 

'  It  is  estimated  that  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  buildings  were  burnt,  most 
of  which  were  stores  and  dwelling-houses ;  in  which  number  nearly  all  the 
dry  goods  stores  in  town  are  included ;  four  printing  offices,  being  the  whole 
number  in  town :  and  including  the  Newburyport  Herald  office ;  the  custom 
house  ;  the  surveyor's  office  ;  the  post  office ;  two  insurance  offices,  (the  Union 
and  the  Phenix  ;)  the  baptist  meeting-house ;  four  attorney's  offices  ;  four  book- 
stores, the  loss  in  one  of  which  is  thirty  thousand  dollars,  and  also  the  town 
library. 

*  Newburyport  Herald.  t  Lewis's  History  of  Lynn. 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  277 


1  Blunt's  building  and  the  Phenix  building,  two  large  four  story  brick  build- 
ings, seemed  to  present  a  barrier  to  the  destructive  element,  and  great  hopes 
were  entertained  for  a  time  that  they  would  effectually  restrain  its  rage  ;  but  by 
a  sudden  change  of  the  wind  the  flames  were  carried  directly  upon  these  im- 
mense piles,  which  they  soon  overtopped,  and  involved  in  the  calamity,  which 
threatened  to  become  general.  State  street  at  this  time  presented  a  spectacle 
most  terribly  sublime !  The  wind  soon  after  its  change  blew  strong :  these 
buildings  which  were  much  me  highest  in  the  street  threw  the  fire  in  awful 
columns  many  yards  into  the  air,  and  the  flames  extended  in  one  continued 
sheet  of  fire  across  the  spacious  area  ! 

1  The  large  brick  baptist  meeting-house,  in  Liberty  street,  hi  which  many  had 
deposited  their  goods,  furniture,  &c.  as  (from  its  distance  and  construction)  a 
place  of  undoubted  safety,  with  its  contents  shared  and  increased  the  awful 
calamity. 

i  At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  fire  seemed  to  rage  in  every  direction  with 
irresistible  fury,  and  the  inhabitants  saw  very  little  prospect  of  preserving  any 
portion  of  the  town.  Every  thing  was  accomplished  which  intelligent  and 
ardent  exertion  could  effect :  but  they  were  disheartened  by  perceiving  those 
efforts  apparently  without  success.  About  four  the  danger  diminished,  and  at 
six  the  fire  had  in  a  great  degree  spent  its  fury. 

1  The  scene,  says  a  gentleman,  who  was  present  during  the  night,  was  the 
most  truly  terrible  I  have  ever  witnessed.  At  the  commencement  of  the  fire, 
it  was  a  bright  moon  light  night,  and  the  evening  was  cool  and  pleasant.  But 
the  moon  gradually  became  obscured  and  at  length  disappeared  in  the  thick 
cloud  of  smoke  which  shrouded  the  atmosphere.  The  glare  of  light  through- 
out the  town  was  intense,  and  the  heat  that  of  a  sultry  summer  noon.  The 
streets  were  thronged  with  those  whose  dwellings  were  consumed,  conveying 
the  remains  of  their  property  to  places  of  safety.  The  incessant  crash  of 
falling  buildings,  the  roaring  of  chimneys  like  distant  thunder,  the  flames 
ascending  in  curling  volumes  from  a  vast  extent  of  ruins,  the  air  filled  with  a 
shower  of  fire,  and  the  feathered  throng  fluttering  over  their  wonted  retreats, 
and  dropping  into  the  flames ;  the  looing  of  the  cows,  and  the  confused  noise 
of  exertion  and  distress,  united  to  impress  the  mind  with  the  most  awful 
sensations. 

1  The  loss  of  property  is  immense,  and  cannot  fall  short  of  one  million  of 
dollars.  Upwards  of  ninety  families  are  driven  from  their  habitations  with  the 
loss  of  a  very  considerable  part  of  their  furniture  and  clothing,  and  many  of 
them  deprived  of  the  means  of  furnishing  themselves  with  the  necessaries  of 
life.  The  scene  of  horror  presented  to  view  by  the  ravages  of  one  night,  beg- 
gars all  description.' 

*  Within  a  few  months  after  the  fire,  the  sufferers  received  in  do- 
nations, about  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  thousand  dollars.'  ^ 

A  splendid  cornet  was  seen  on  the  eleventh  of  October  between 
Arcturus  and  Lyra,  and  continued  visible  several  months. 


1812. 

The  baptist  meeting-house  was  built  this  year  in  Congress  street 
April  fah.  An  embargo  for  ninety  days  was  passed  by  congress, 
and  on  June  nineteenth,  war  was  declared  by  the  United  States 
against  Great  Britain.  On  June  twenty-fifth  the  town  of  Newbury- 
port  held  a  public  meeting  i  to  express  their  sentiments  on  the  sub- 
ject of  a  war  with  Great  Britain,'  and  on  June  twenty-ninth  the 

*  Holmes's  annals. 


278  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

town  of  Newbury  held  a  public  meeting  for  the  same  purpose. 
The  latter  town  '  passed  at  a  very  full  meeting  without  a  dissenting 
vote,'  a  series  of  resolutions  in  decided  opposition  to  the  war.  The 
former  reported  an  address  '  to  the  executive  department  and  the 
legislature  of  the  commonwealth,  expressive  of  their  readiness  to 
support  them  in  any  constitutional  measures,  which  they  might 
adopt  for  the  safety  and  welfare  of  the  people  of  the  commonwealth 
and  also  expressive  of  their  disapprobation  of  the  late  declaration 
of  war.'  The  committee,  chosen  by  Newburyport  to  draft  the  me-, 
morial,  were  Nessrs.  Jeremiah  Nelson,  John  Pierpont,  Joseph  Dana, 
William  Bartlet,  and  William  Fans. 

This  year  the  Franklin  library  was  instituted,  and  the  Newbu- 
ryport bank,  and  the  Mechanic's  bank,  incorporated.  The  Mem- 
mac  bank  was  incorporated  June  twenty-fifth,  1795,  which  was  the 
first  in  town. 

1813- 

January  31st.  Town  of  Newbury  voted  to  petition  the  legislature 
for  some  relief  from  the  ruinous  effects  of  the  unconstitutional  em- 
bargo law,  forced  and  imposed  on  us  by  the  general  government. 

March  26th.  Merrimac  river  was  frozen  over  and  so  continued 
about  two  hours. 

June  12th.  The  grist  mills  of  Mr.  Silas  Pearson,  Newbury,  were 
destroyed  by  fire.  It  was  supposed  to  be  the  work  of  an  incendiary. 
Loss  between  three  and  four  thousand  dollars. 

lJune  l&h.  Newburyport  voted  that  the  selectmen  be  requested 
to  cause  the  bells  of  the  town  to  be  rung  from  eleven  o'clock  to 
twelve  on  the  day  of  the  fifteenth  of  June  in  commemoration  of 
the  great  events  in  Europe.' 

1815. 

February  13th.  News  that  a  treaty  of  peace  had  been  made  at 
Ghent,  arrived  in  Newbury  this  day,  and  on  the  seventeenth  it  was 
ratified  by  the  president. 

September  23d.  American  missionaries,  Messrs.  Bardwell,  Rich- 
ards, Meigs,  and  Poor,  sailed  from  Newburyport  for  Ceylon. 

1816. 

April  1st.     The  meeting-house  in  Newbury,  Belleville,  was  this 
day  struck  by  lightning  and  consumed. 
This  summer  was  an  unusually  cold  one. 

1817. 

July  12th.  James  Monroe,  president  of  the  United  States,  passed 
through  Newbury  and  Newburyport.  He  was  received  with  all 


HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY.  279 

those  marks  of  honor  and  respect  due  to  his  personal  worth  as  well 
as  his  exalted  station. 

1818. 

March  4th.  Newbury  voted  to  procure  a  lot  of  land  to  build  a 
town  house  on. 

February  13th.  The  Howard  Benevolent  Society  of  Newbury- 
port  was  formed. 

1819. 

The  west  part  of  Newbury  was  this  year  set  off  into  a  separate 
township,  and  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Parsons,  which  was 
afterward  changed  to  that  of  "West  Newbury. 


1820. 

The  Newbury  port  Savings  bank  was  incorporated. 

1821. 

May  10th.  Stephen  M.  Clark,  of  Newburyport,  aged  about 
seventeen  years,  was  executed  at  Salem  for  the  crime  of  arson. 

This  year,  the  town  of  Newbury  was  divided  into  nine  school 
districts,  and,  for  the  first  and  only  time  since  the  settlement  of  the 
town,  the  selectmen  received  no  pay  for  their  services.  In  1822, 
the  Marine  Bible  Society  was  formed  in  Newburyport,  and  in  1823, 
the  Market  hall  was  erected.  It  stands  on  what  was  once  called 
the  '  middle  ship  yard.' 

1824. 

March.  The  town  of  Newburyport  voted  that  the  thanks  'of 
the  town  be  given  to  John  Porter,  esquire,  for  his  unparalleled 
exertions  in  collecting  the  whole  taxes  committed  to  him  the  past 
year.' 

August  31st.  The  marquis  Lafayette  passed  through  Newbury 
and  Newburyport.  He  arrived  late  in  the  evening  in  the  midst  of 
a  heavy  shower  to  town,  where  great  preparations  had  been  made  to 
welcome  the  illustrious  guest  The  next  day  thousands  went  to  see 
him,  and  were  highly  gratified  to  see  and  grasp  the  hand  of  the  man 
with  whose  name  and  history  many  of  them  had  been  so  long  familiar. 

1826. 

This  year  the  difficulty,  which  had  so  long  existed  between  the 
town  of  Newburyport  and  the  <  proprietors' '  committee,  was  adjust- 


280  HISTORY   OP   NEWBURY. 

ed,  the  latter  giving  the  former  a  deed  of  all  the  land  owned  by 
them  within  the  limits  of  Newburyport  for  twelve  hundred  dollars. 
July  4th.  John  Adams,  in  his  ninety -first  year,  and  Thomas 
Jefferson,  in  his  eighty-third  year,  died  this  day  —  a  remarkable  coin- 
cidence. A  eulogy  on  the  characters  of  these  distinguished  men 
was  delivered  in  Newburyport,  by  Caleb  Gushing,  esquire. 


1827. 

February  6th.  This  morning,  about  one  o'clock,  as  Mr.  David 
Jackman  and  Mr.  Frederick  Canton  were  driving  a  heavily  loaded 
team,  drawn  by  four  oxen  and  a  horse,  over  Essex  Merrimac  bridge, 
the  chains  broke  and  precipitated  them  into  the  river.  Both  the 
men  with  the  horse  were  saved,  but  the  oxen  were  drowned.  The 
morning  was  very  cold,  and  the  bridge  had  on  it  a  large  quantity  of 
snow  and  ice. 

This  summer  the  new  bridge,  connecting  Newburyport  with  Sal- 
isbury, was  erected.  It  was  passable  August  twenty-seventh,  but 
was  not  completed  till  October.  The  whole  cost  was  sixty-six 
thousand  dollars. 

June  9th.  John  Tilton,  aged  nearly  eight  years,  son  of  Mr.  Dan- 
iel L.  Tilton,  Marlborough  street,  was  instantaneously  killed  by 
Lightning,  while  standing  near  a  window. 


1828. 

Merrimac  bridge,  connecting  West  Newbury  with  the  Rocks' 
village  in  Haverhill,  was  finished  this  fall.  It  is  nine  hundred  feet 
in  length,  has  four  stone  piers,  two  abutments  and  a  draw.  The 
bridge  before  this  was  carried  away  by  a  freshet  in  April,  1818. 


1829- 

This  year  a  c  breakwater,'  for  which  an  appropriation  of  thirty- 
two  thousand  dollars  had  been  made  in  1828  by  congress,  was 
commenced  across  Plum  island  river.  It  is  nineteen  hundred  feet 
in  length,  and  runs  in  *a  northwest  direction.  It  was  not  completed 
till  1831,  after  another  appropriation  had  been  made  by  congress. 
The  main  object,  for  which  it  was  erected,  has  not  been  accom- 
plished, though  it  has  been  in  some  respects  beneficial. 


1830. 

April  5th.     Newbury  voted  not  to  grant  licenses  to  any  persons 
to  sell  ardent  spirits. 


HISTORY    OF    NEWBURY.  281 


1831- 

The  first  number  of  the  Liberator,  an  anti-slavery  paper,  was 
published  in  Boston,  by  two  natives  of  Newburyport,  William 
Lloyd  Garrison  and  Isaac  Knapp. 


1832. 

January  6th.  The  New  England  Anti-slavery  society  was  formed 
by  twelve  persons,  of  whom  two  were  from  Newburyport  and  one 
from  Newbury.  The  following  is  the  preamble  to  the  constitution 
of  the  society. 

1  We,  the  undersigned,  hold  that  every  person  of  full  age  and  sane  mind  has 
a  right  to  immediate  freedom  from  personal  bondage  of  whatsoever  kind,  unless 
imposed  by  the  sentence  of  the  law  for  the  commission  of  some  crime.  We 
hold  that  man  cannot,  consistently  with  reason,  religion,  and  the  eternal  and 
immutable  principles  of  justice,  be  the  property  of  man.  We  hold  that  whoever 
retains  his  fellow  man  in  bondage  is  guilty  of  a  grievous  wrong.  We  hold  that 
mere  difference  of  complexion  is  no  reason  why  any  man  should  be  deprived  of 
any  of  his  natural  rights,  or  subjected  to  any  political  disability.  While  we 
advance  these  opinions  as  the  principles  on  which  we  intend  to  act,  we  declare 
that  we  will  not  operate  on  the  existing  relations  of  society  by  other  than  peace- 
ful and  lawful  means,  and  that  we  will  give  no  countenance  to  violence  or  in- 
surrection.' 

January  13th.  About  four  o'clock,  P.  M.,  Mr.  Henry  Page,  har- 
ness maker,  was  found  dead  in  his  shop  in  Liberty  street,  New- 
buryport, having  been  -twice  stabbed  by  some  person  or  persons 
unknown.  All  attempts  to  discover  the  murderer  have  hitherto 
proved  ineffectual. 

1833. 

Ocean  bank  of  Newburyport  incorporated. 


1835. 

May  26th.  This  day,  according  to  previous  arrangements  made 
by  the  citizens  of  the  three  towns  that  once  constituted  'ould 
Newberry,'  the  two  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  settlement  of  the 
town  was  celebrated.  A  salute  of  twenty-four  guns  was  fired  at 
sunrise,  and  a  similar  salute  at  sunset.  At  ten  o'clock  a  procession 
was  formed  at  the  town  house  in  Newbury,  which  moved  at  half 
past  ten,  escorted  by  the  Newburyport  artillery  company,  and  the 
Byfield  rifle  company;  went  down  the  turnpike  to  High  street, 
thence  down  High  street  to  Federal  street,  thence  down  Federal  to 
Middle  street,  thence  through  Market  square,  Broadway,  and  Merri- 
mac  street,  up  Market  street,  through  Berry  street  and  Brown's 
36 


282  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

square  to  Pleasant  street  church,  where  an  address  was  delivered 
by  the  honorable  Caleb  Gushing,  and  an  ode  and  hymn  written  for 
the  occasion  by  the  honorable  George  Lunt,  were  sung.  After  the 
services  of  the  church  were  concluded,  about  seven  hundred  per- 
sons dined  at  the  pavilion,  erected  for  the  purpose  near  the  New- 
bury  town  house.  The  sentiments  and  speeches  on  the  occasion, 
were,  it  is  said,  of  a  superior  order.  Lieutenant  governor  Arm- 
strong, the  honorable  Messrs.  Everett,  Phillips,  Gushing,  and  Lunt, 
colonel  Winthrop  and  colonel  Swett  of  Boston,  judge  White  of 
Salem,  and  several  other  gentlemen,  addressed  the  company,  which 
did  not  separate  till  sundown.  In  the  evening  the  ladies  gave  a 
splendid  tea  party  at  the  town  hall  in  Newburyport,  which  was 
numerously  attended,  and  which  added  no  little  eclat  to  the  festivi- 
ties. The  newspapers  of  the  day  furnish  us  with  a  long  account 
of  the  toasts,  sentiments,  speeches,  anecdotes,  and  so  forth,  which 
the  celebration  elicited,  but  I  have  no  room  for  the  narration.  I 
can  find  room  only  for  the  following  ode. 

PILGRIM  SONG. 

Over  the  mountain  wave, 
See  where  they  come ; 
Storm-cloud  and  wintry  wind 

Welcome  them  home  ; 
Yet  where  the  sounding  gale 

Howls  to  the  sea, 
There  their  song  peals  along, 
Deep-toned  and  free : 
Pilgrims  and  wanderers, 

Hither  we  come ; 
Where  the  free  dare  to  be  — 
This  is  our  home  ! 

England  hath  sunny  dales, 

Dearly  they  bloom ; 
Scotia  hath  heather-hills, 

Sweet  their  perfume ; 
Yet  through  the  wilderness, 

Cheerful  we  stray ; 
Native  land,  native  land, 
Home,  far  away ! 

Pilgrims  and  wanderers, 

Hither  we  come ; 
Where  the  free  dare  to  be  — 
This  is  our  home ! 

Dim  grew  the  forest-path, — 

Onward  they  trod ; 
Firm  beat  their  noble  hearts, 

Trusting  in  God ! 
Gray  men  and  blooming  maids, 

High  rose  their  song ; 
Hear  it  sweep,  clear  and  deep, 
Ever  along: 

Pilgrims  and  wanderers, 

Hither  we  come ; 
Where  the  free  dare  to  be  — 
This  is  our  home  ! 


HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY.  '        283 

Not  theirs  the  glory-wreath 

Torn  by  the  blast  5 
Heavenward  their  holy  steps, 

Heavenward  they  past ; 
Green  be  their  mossy  graves ! 

Ours  be  their  fame ; 
While  their  song  peals  along, 
Ever  the  same : 
Pilgrims  and  wanderers, 

Hither  we  come ; 
Where  the  free  dare  to  be  — 
This  is  our  home ! 

Thus  ended  the  second  centennial  celebration  of  the  settlement  of 
Newbury ;  the  completion  of  the  first  century,  in  1735,  having  been, 
according  to  tradition,  duly  noticed  in  the  front  yard  of  colonel  Jo- 
seph Coffin's  house,  where  his  great  grandson,  the  compiler  of  this 
work,  now  resides. 

1837- 

May  24th.  The  town  of  Newbury  voted  to  loan  to  the  state,  at 
five  per  centum,  their  portion  of  the  surplus  revenue.  This  was 
accordingly  done,  and  though  many  attempts  have  been  made  to 
appropriate  it  to  some  other  purpose,  no  motion  to  that  effect  has 
been  successful. 

1840- 

The  population  of  Newbury,  Newburyport,  and  West  Newbury, 
has  been,  according  to  the  census,  as  follows,  namely : 

1764    1790    1800    1810    1820    1830    1840 

Newbury,  3972    4076     5176     3671     3771     3389 

Newburyport,  2282     4837     5946     7634     6858     6741     7124 

West  Newbury,  1279     1448     1553 

1843. 

The  winter  of  1843  was  very  severe,  and  the  spring  unusually 
backward.  As  late  as  the  middle  of  April  the  snow  in  many 
places  was  several  feet  deep. 

April  13th.  On  this  day  in  1755  as  well  as  this  year,  the  ice 
broke  up  in  the  Merrimac. 

June  15th.  Abner  Rogers,  a  native  of  Newbury,  who  had  been 
in  the  state's  prison  in  Charlestown  two  years,  and  who  had  again 
been  sentenced  five  and  a  half  years  from  March  twenty-eighth, 
1838,  rushed  upon  the  warden  of  the  prison,  Mr.  Solomon  Lincoln, 
and  killed  him  with  a  shoe  knife.  After  a  long  and  patient  investi- 
gation, the  jury  rendered  their  verdict,  'not  guilty  by  reason  of  in- 
sanity.' He  was  then  sent  to  the  Worcester  insane  asylum. 

October  19th.  '  This  morning,  about  half  past  six  o'clock,  an 
hour  after  the  workmen  had  commenced  operations,  the  boiler  of  a 
six  horse  power  engine  in  the  patent  cordage  manufactory  of 


284  HISTORY   OF   NEWBUKY. 

Michael  Wormsted  &  Son,  on  South  and  Marlborough  streets, 
exploded.  Mr.  John  Green,  the  engineer,  who  was  probably  stand- 
ing in  front  of  the  furnace,  was  instantly  killed,  his  head  being 
crushed  into  an  almost  shapeless  mass.  Mr.  Lorenzo  Ross,  who 
was  standing  in  the  doorway  of  the  engine  room,  was  badly  scald- 
ed, and  his  body  completely  blackened.  He  was  taken  up  sense- 
less, but  afterward  revived,  and  it  is  thought  may  recover.  The 
engine  house  was  completely  demolished,  and  the  bricks,  timbers, 
and  boards  thickly  scattered  around,  to  the  distance  of  eighty  or  a 
hundred  yards.  The  boiler  was  twenty  feet  long,  and  weighed 
over  a  ton  and  a  half.  The  main  body  of  it,  being  eight  of  the  ten 
joints  or  plates,  and  weighing,  probably,  near  twenty-eight  hundred, 
pounds,  was  forced  in  a  straight  line,  through  a  pile  of  heavy  an- 
thracite coal,  eight  or  ten  feet  in  thickness,  and  also  the  end  of  the 
building  against  which  the  coal  was  piled,  passing  over  the  vacant 
lot  between  the  ropewalk  and  the  dwelling-house  and  out  buildings 
next  below  it,  on  Marlborough  street,  and  after  striking  the  ground 
three  or  four  times,  prostrated  a  small  shed,  and  leveled  the  fence 
on  the  street,  which  checked  its  progress  so  that  it  turned  round 
and  rested  on  the  sidewalk,  nearly  on  a  parallel  line  with  Marlbor- 
ough street,  and  at  a  distance  of  nearly  three  hundred  feet  from  the 
engine  house. 

1  A  fragment  of  the  boiler,  straightened  out,  and  weighing  two 
hundred  pounds  or  more,  was  thrown  about  forty  yards  in  the  field 
on  the  lower  side  of  the  engine  house,  and  a  smaller  fragment, 
weighing  seventy-five  or  a  hundred  pounds,  was  projected  about 
forty  yards  in  a  straight  line  in  the  rear  towards  South  street,  and 
the  head  of  the  boiler  weighing  probably  one  hundred  pounds, 
must  have  been  elevated  to  a  great  height  as  it  fell  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  ropewalk,  and  within  a  few  feet  of  the  building,  having 
passed  over  the  roof.'  Newburyport  Herald. 

This  was  the  first  steam  engine  erected  in  Newbury,  and  had 
been  in  use  five  or  six  years. 

1844. 

May  19^A.  This  day,  Abner  Rogers,  whose  insanity  caused  the 
death  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  lost  his  own  life,  undoubtedly  from  the  same 
cause.  The  manner  was  this.  '  Near  the  close  of  the  evening  ex- 
ercises he  became  impatient  and  requested  his  attendant  to  permit 
him  to  retire.  His  attendant  replied  that  the  services  would  soon 
be  over,  when  not  a  moment  elapsed  before  he  sprang  through  the 
window  with  great  force,  taking  out  four  panes  with  the  sash/  The 
fall  was  about  sixteen  feet.  He  was  taken  up  senseless  and  so 
remained  until  he  died,  which  was  the  third  day  after  his  fall. 

Stuart  Chase,  esquire,  was  this  year  chosen  town  clerk  of  New- 
bury. Deacon  Ezra  Hale,  who  had  for  thirty-seven  years  officiated 
in  that  capacity,  declined  a  re-election.  A  unanimous  vote  of  thanks 
was  given  by  the  town  'for  his  long  and  faithful  services  as  clerk, 


HISTORY   OF   NEWBURY.  285 

and  so  forth,  and  voted  that  it  be  entered  on  the  town  records  by 
his  successor  in  said  office.' 

There  are  four  cotton  mills  in  Newburyport,  built  in  1886,  1839, 
1841,  and  1844,  of  which  I  shall  speak  more  particularly  in  the 
appendix. 

November  19th.  This  afternoon,  the  reverend  Daniel  Dana 
preached  to  a  numerous  audience,  in  the  church  in  Federal  street,  a 
sermon  in  commemoration  of  his  having  been  ordained  the  pastor 
of  that  church  and  congregation  a  half  century  before. 

The  evening  of  this  day  was  made  the  occasion  of  one  of  those 
festive  meetings  known  in  modern  times  by  the  name  of  '  donation 
visits.'  Preparations  had  been  making,  for  some  time  before,  among 
the  venerable  pastor's  numerous  friends,  to  exhibit  some  substantial 
testimony  of  their  regard.  On  this  occasion,  his  house  was  literally 
crowded  with  those  of  all  ages,  who  gladly  came  to  show  their  re- 
spect for  the  good  and  eminent  man,  who,  for  half  a  century,  had 
devoted  himself,  with  untiring  zeal,  to  his  master's  great  business. 
Drawing  toward  the  close  of  his  labors,  nothing  could  have  been 
more  gratifying  to  him,  than  to  witness  the  respect  and  good  will 
of  the  few,  who  had  listened  to  his  earliest  instructions,  mingled 
with  the  many,  who  had  been  favored  by  his  later  ministrations.  It 
was,  indeed,  a  cheerful  and  happy  meeting.  All  were  in  good 
spirits.  Plentiful  refreshments  were  provided  by  the  friends  of  him, 
who  had  thus  been  made  a  respected  guest  in  his  own  house,  and  the 
music  of  the  choir  agreeably  diversified  the  entertainment.  The 
numerous  party  left  behind  them,  in  the  hands  of  the  committee, 
ample  evidence  of  their  sincere  interest  in  the  excellent  pastor. 
They  separated  to  their  several  homes,  at  a  seasonable  hour.  All 
were  sorry  to  leave,  and  none  can  ever  forget  the  pleasing  circum- 
stances of  so  interesting  a  scene. 

In  token  of  his  gratitude,  the  doctor  puublished  in  the  Newbury- 
port Herald  the  following  card. 

1  Doctor  Dana  presents  his  grateful  acknowledgments  to  those  numerous 
friends  of  various  congregations,  who  were  pleased  to  honor  his  house  with  a 
visit  on  the  evening  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  ordination.  So  extensive 
a  manifestation  of  interest  in  his  person  and  his  ministerial  labors^  is  cheering 
to  his  heart,  and  its  memory  will  cease  only  with  his  life. 

'  The  plan  of  a  friendly  congratulation  was  made  subservient  to  the  purpose 
of  generous  beneficence,  a  plan  conceived  with  so  much  secrecy  and  executed 
with  so  much  liberality,  has  rendered  the  kindness  of  his  friends  almost  oppres- 
sive. He  can  never  cease  to  implore  for  them  that  they  may  be  rewarded  in 
the  richest  blessings  of  time  and  eternity.' 

December  27th.  A  meeting-house  for  the  first  Christian  union 
society  of  Newburyport,  was  this  day  raised  in  Court  street,  New- 
buryport, seventy-five  feet  in  length,  'and  forty-five  in  breadth.  The 
church  was  formed  May  seventh,  1841. 


286  HISTORY    OF   NEWBURY. 

This  page,  gentle  reader,  closes,  as  you  perceive,  the  annals  of 
*  ould  Newberry,'  and  should  you,  without  the  perplexity  that  I  have 
sometimes  experienced,  receive  a  tithe  of  the  pleasure,  in  reading 
the  preceding  pages,  that  I  have  had  in  collecting,  arranging,  and 
abridging,  the  materials  of  which  they  are  composed,  I  shall  feel 
highly  gratified  with  the  result  of  my  labors,  and  you  will,  for  a 
short  time  at  least,  be  quite  a  happy  man.  If,  on  the  contrary,  your 
anticipations  have  not  been  realized,  and  you  are  disappointed  in 
the  history,  and  dissatisfied  with  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been 
arranged,  you  can  alter  it  to  your  liking,  as  there  still  exists  an  abun- 
dance of  unpublished  materials,  amply  sufficient  for  you  to  make 
another  volume,  for  your  own  gratification,  and  the  amusement  of 
the  public.  You  can  also  omit  reading  the  following  appendix, 
which  is  served  up,  as  a  kind  of  dessert,  for  those  who  have  not 
left  the  table,  either  in  satiety  or  disgust. 


DOLAV1  yT   POTUI.'       CICERO. 
A 


APPENDIX, 


A.    Page  19. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  the  most  wealthy  of  the  grantees, 
with  the  number  of  acres,  which  were  granted  them,  affixed  to  their 
names.  To  each  of  the  first  settlers  was  granted  a  house  lot  of  at 
least  four  acres,  with  a  suitable  quantity  of  salt  and  fresh  meadow. 

Mr.  Richard  Dummer,        .        .  1080  Mr.  James  Noyes,       .        .        .  124 

Mr.  Henry  Sewall,          .        .  .      630  Mr.  Thomas  Parker,       ...  90 

Mr.  John  Clark,           .        .        .,  540  Captain  Edmund  Greenleaf,      .  122 

Mr.  John  Woodbridge,    .        .  .237  Mr.  James  Browne,        .        .        .  159 

Mr.  Edward  Raw  son,         .     •  .  581  Mr.  Edward  Woodman,      .        .  120 

Richard  Kent,  junior,    .        .  .134  Mr.  Nicholas  Easton,     ...  89 

William  Moody,          ...  92  Mr.  Stephen  Dummer,       .        .  386 

John  Merrill,           ....        96  Stephen  Kent,        ....  84 

Mr.  John  Cutting,       ...  220  Nicholas  Holt,    ....  80 

To  the  other  grantees,  the  number  of  acres  varied  from  ten  to  eighty. 
Many  of  the  later  settlers  were  wealthy,  who  obtained  the  principal 
part  of  their  land  by  purchase,  such,  for  instance,  as  George  Little, 
Robert  Adams,  captain  William  Gerrish,  Richard  Dole,  Mr.  John,  Mr. 
Richard,  and  Mr.  Percival  Lowle,  and  a  few  others. 


B.     Page  33. 
A  SHORT  CATECHISM 

COMPOSED    BY    MR.    JAMES    NOYES,     LATE     TEACHER    OF    THE    CHURCH     OF 

CHRIST    IN    NEWBTJRY,    IN    NEW    ENGLAND.        FOR    THE    USE 

OF    THE    CHILDREN    THERE. 

Question.    How  do  the  Scriptures  prove  themselves  to  be  true? 

Jlnswer.     By  the  holiness  of  the  matter,  by  the  majesty  of  the  style,     John7  ^.  14  39 
by  the  accomplishment  of  the  Prophesies,  by  the  efficacy  of  their     1  John's,*  ' 
power  on  the  hearts  of  men,  besides  the  holy  Ghost  beareth.  witness,     l^ie' 26*10  9. 
helping  us  to  discern  the  truth  of  them.  i  John  5,1.' 

Q.     What  is  the  sum  of  the  Scriptures  ?  SKs^ 

Jl.    A  Doctrine  of  a  godly  life. 

Q.     Wherein  consists  a  godly  life  ? 

A.     In  the  obedience  of  Faith.  John6,40. 

Q.     What  is  Faith  ? 

Jl.    Faith  is  an  effectual  assent  to  the  Doctrine  of  the  Scriptures,     J  John  4' 15 ' 3>  6* 
especially  concerning  the  Grace  of  God  in  Christ. 

Q.     What  doth  the  Scripture  reveal  concerning  God? 

A.    His  Nature,  and  his  Acts. 

Q.     What  is  revealed  concerning  his  Nature? 

A.    His  Essence,  and  his  Persons. 

Q.    How  is  the  Essence  of  God  made  manifest  ? 


288 


APPENDIX. 


1  John  5, 7. 
Slat.  28, 19. 

2  Cor.  13, 14. 
Jobl.L 

Acts  5, 3  4. 
1  Cor.  8, 6. 


Eph.1,456. 


Bom.  9, 22. 
1  Pet  2, 8. 
Jude4 


Mat  10, 29, 30. 
Acts  17, 28. 


Jer.31,3132. 


GaL3,1112. 
Mark  16,  16. 

Kom.5,17. 
1  John  3,  4. 

Eph.4,22. 


Rom.  7,23. 
1  John  3,  4. 


Bom.  3,  19  23. 
Bom.  5,  12;  6,23. 

Rom.  3,  23  24. 


Heb.  12,  20. 
Kom.3, 20. 
John  15,  5. 


A.    By  his  Names,  and  Attributes. 

Q.     What  are  his  Attributes  ? 

A.  His  Independency,  Unity,  Immutability,  Eternity,  Infiniteness, 
Omnipresence,  Omnipotency,  Wisdom,  Omnisciency,  Holiness,  Bles- 
sedness, Soveraignty,  Goodness,  Mercy,  Meekness,  Clemency,  Justice 
and  Verity. 

Q.     How  many  Persons  are  there  in  the  Godhead? 

A.  Three,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy-Ghost;  and  every  one  of  these  is 
God,  and  yet  there  is  but  One  God. 

Q.    How  many  fold  are  the  acts  of  God  ? 

A.     Twofold,  eternal  and  temporal. 

Q.     What  are  the  eternal  acts  of  God  ? 

A.    His  Decrees. 

Q.     How  many  fold  are  his  Decrees  ? 

A.     Twofold,  general  and  particular. 

Q.     What  is  the  general  Decree  of  God  ? 

A.  An  eternal  act  of  God  whereby  he  did  determine  to  make, the 
World,  and  dispose  of  all  things  therein. 

Q.     What  are  the  particular  Decrees  of  God  ? 

A.     Election  and  Reprobation. 

Q.     What  is  Election  ? 

A.  An  eternal  act  of  God,  whereby  he  did  determine  to  glorifie 
himself  in  saving  a  certain  number  of  persons  through  Faith  in  Christ. 

Q.     What  is  Repro'bation  ? 

A.  An  eternal  act  of  God,  whereby  he  did  determine  to  glorifie 
himself  in  condemning  a  certain  number  of  persons  for  their  sins. 

Q.     What  are  the  Temporal  acts  of  God  ? 

A.     Creation,  Preservation  and  Government. 

Q.     How  many-fold  is  his  Government  ? 

A.     Twofold :  general  and  special. 

Q.     What  is  the  general  Government  ? 

A.  A  temporal  act  of  God,  whereby  he  doth  dispose  of  all  crea- 
tures according  to  a  general  Providence. 

Q.     What  is  the  special  Government  of  God  ? 

A.  A  temporal  act  of  God  whereby  he  doth  dispose  of  the  reason- 
able creature  according  to  a  special  Covenant. 

Q.     How  many  Covenants  hath  God  made  with  man  ? 

A.  Two :  The  Covenant  of  the  Law.  and  the  Covenant  of  the 
Gospel. 

Q.     What  is  the  Covenant  of  the  Law  ? 

A.    A  promise  of  Life  on  perfect  and  personal  Obedience. 

Q.    What  is  the  Covenant  of  the  Gospel  ? 

A.    A  promise  of  Life  upon  Faith  in  Christ. 

Q.     What  is  the  Occasion  of  the  Covenant  of  the  Gospel  ? 

A.    Strains  Sin. 

Q.    What  is  Sin? 

A.    A  breach  of  Gods  Law. 

Q.    How  many  kinds  of  Sin  are  there  ? 

A.    Two :  Original  and  Actual. 

Q.     What  is  Original  Sin  ? 

A.    A  Being  contrary  to  Gods  Law. 

Q.    What  is  Actual  Sin  ? 

A.     A  Doing  contrary  to  Gods  Law. 

Q.     What  are  the  effects  of  Sin  ? 

A.     Guilt  and  Punishment. 

Q.    What  is  Guilt? 

A.    A  liableness  to  Punishment. 

Q.     What  is  Punishment  ? 

A.  An  infliction  of  evil  for  Sin;  namely,  Death  temporal  and 
eternal. 

Q.     How  may  we  escape  eternal  Death  ? 

A.    By  the  covenant  of  the  Gospel  only. 

Q.     Can  we  not  escape  death  by  the  Covenant  of  the  Law? 

A.  No :  because  we  cannot  perform  the  condition  of  it,  which  is 
perfect  Obedience :  yea  by  reason  of  the  Fall  of  Adam,  we  cannot  do 
any  good  thing. 

Q.     Can  we  perform  the  condition  of  the  Covenant  of  the  Gospel  ? 


APPENDIX. 


289 


A.    Yes:  because  God  has  shewed  us  in  his  Scriptures,  that  he  will 
help  us  through  Faith  in  Christ  to  perform  the  condition  of  it. 

Q.     What  is  Christ  1 

A.     The  Eternal  Son  of  God,  and  both  God  and  Man. 

Q.     What  are  we  to  consider  in  Jesus  Christ"? 

Jl.     His  Natures,  his  personal  Union,  and  his  Offices.  ' 

Q.     How  many  Natures  hath  Chiist? 

A.     Two:  the  Nature  of  God,  and  the  Nature  of  Man;  otherwise 
called  the  Divine  Nature  and  the  Humane. 

Q.     What  is  the  personal  union  of  Christ? 

A.     The  Subsistence  of  the  Humane  nature  in  the  second  person  of 
the  Deity. 

Q.     What  are  the  Offices  of  Christ? 
A.     His  Mediatorship,  Kingship,  Priesthood  and  Prophetship. 

Q.     What  is  the  work  of  Christs  Office. 
A.     Redemption. 

Q.     What  is  Redemption  ? 

A.     A  deliverance  of  the  Elect  from  Sin  and  misery,  by  the  price 
of  Christs  Obedience. 

Q.     How  many  fold  is  Christs  Obedience? 
A.     Twofold,  active  and  passive. 

Q.     What  is  his  active  Obedience  ? 
A.     A  Doing  the  will  of  God. 

Q.     What  is  his  passive  Obedience  ? 
A.     His  Suffering  the  Will  of  God,  even  to  the  Death  of  the  Cross. 

Q.     What  is  the  Application  of  Redemption? 

A.     A  giving  of  the  Spirit,  in  and  with  the  graces  of  the  Spirit. 

Q.     "What  are  the  graces  of  the  Spirit  ? 

A.     Vocation,  Justification,  Adoption  and  Glorification. 

Q.     What  is  Vocation  ? 

A.    A  grace  of  the  Spirit,  whereby  God  doth  give  Faith  and  Repen- 
tance unto  his  elect  ones. 

Q.     What  is  Faith? 

A.    A  sight  of  the  grace  of  the  Gospel  whereby  we  come  to  cleave 
to  God  in  Christ  above  all  things  for  Salvation. 

Or  else  a  belief  that  God  will  pardon  our  sins  in  the  way  of  Repen- 
tance for  Christs  sake. 

Q.     Wkat  is  Repentance  ? 

A.     An  overcoming  purpose  to  forsake  sin,  with  sorrow  for  sin. 

Q.     What  is  Justification  ? 

A.     A  grace  of  the  Spirit  whereby  God  doth  accept  and  pronounce 
all  those  that  are  called,  to  be  just  unto  eternal  life. 

Q.     What  is  Adoption  ? 

A.     A  grace  of  the  Spirit,  whereby  God  doth  accept  and  pronounce 
all  those  that  are  called,  to  be  His  Children,  and  heirs  unto  eternal  life. 

Q.     What  is  Glorification  ? 

A.     A  grace  of  the  Spirit,  whereby  God  doth  translate  a  man  out  of 
the  misery  of  sin,  into  blessedness. 

Q.     How  is  the  Application  of  Redemption  made  known? 
A.     By  the  experiencing  of  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  and  by  the  wit- 
ness of  the  Spirit  helping  us  to  discern  the  truth  of  them. 

Q.     What  is  the  subject  of  Redemption  ? 
A.     The  Church. 

Q.     What  are  the  means  of  applying  Redemption  ? 

A.     They  are  especially  publick  Ministry  and  private  duties. 

Q.     What  are  the  Ministerial  Acts? 

A.     Preaching  of  the  Word,  Prayer.  Administration  of  the  Sacra- 
ments, and  Discipline. 

Q.     W7hat  is  a  Sacrament  ? 

A.    A  visible  sign  instituted  by   God  for  the  confirmation  of  the 
Covenant. 

Q.     How  many  Sacraments  are  there  ? 
A.     Two,  Baptism  and  the  Lords  Supper. 

Q.     What  is  the  sign  signifying  in  Baptism? 
A.     Water,  and  the  washing  with  water. 

Q.     What  is  the  thing  signified  ? 

A.    The  blood  of  Christ  washing  away  our  sins  unto  eternal  life. 

37 


Jer.31,33. 


John  1, 14. 
Heb.  2, 16. 


Isaiah  9, 6. 
Rom.  9. 5. 


PhiL  2,678. 

1  Tim.  2, 5. 
Zech.  9,  9. 
Psalm  110. 4. 
Deut  18, 15. 


Titus  2, 14. 


85*1 

Isa.53.L2. 


Eph.2,56. 
2  Tim.  1,9. 

Bom.  8, 30. 


Mat.  16,  28. 

Acts  2, 38. 
Mark  1,15. 

Psalm  37,  27. 
Zech.  12, 10. 
Hos.  14, 2  3. 


Bom.  8, 30. 
Rom.  8, 14 15 16 17 


Rom.  8, 30. 


IThes.  1,4567, 
Rom.  8, 15. 


Bom.  10, 13 1415. 

Mat,  28, 19. 
1  Tim.  2, 1. 
Mat  18, 17;  16, 19, 


1  Pet  3, 2L 
Rom.  6, 4. 


290 


APPENDIX. 


1  Cor.  11,  23  24  25  26 
John  6, 51. 


Mat  18, 17. 


Acts  20,  7. 


Mat.  24,  2. 
Hos.  13, 14. 
Isai.63,34. 


Deut4,13. 
Mat.  22, 37  38. 


Mat.  22,  39  40. 
Horn.  13, 9. 


Psalm  73,  25. 
1  Cor.  13, 13. 


Deut.6,5. 


Deut.6,13. 
Heb.  12, 28. 

Eph.4,1112. 
Mat.  28, 19. 

1  Cor.  11,  23  24. 
Mat.  28, 17. 


Heb.  12, 28. 

Psalm  132, 7 ;  110, 3. 


Psalm  141,2;  55, 17. 
Acts  20, 7. 


1  Pet  5, 5. 
Phil.  2,  3. 

Horn.  12, 16. 

1  Sam.  30, 26  31. 

2  Sam.  9,1. 
1  Pet.  2, 13. 


1  Cor.  13, 4. 
Luke  6, 36. 


Numb.  12, 3. 

1  Pet  3, 4. 
Luke  21, 19. 
CoL  1, 11. 


Tit.  3, 3. 


Q.     What  is  the  sign  signifying  in  the  Lords  Supper  ? 
A.     The  Bread  and  Wine :  the  Bread  broken,  and  the  Wine  poured 
out,  the  giving  and  receiving  of  it. 

Q.     What  is  the  thing  signified  in  the  Lords  Supper  1 
A.     The  Body  of  Qhrist  broken  on  the  Cross,  his  Blood  shed  for 
our  sins,  offered  to  sinners  in  the  way  of  believing  and  received  by 
Faith,  for  assurance  of  eternal  life. 
Q.     What  is  Discipline  ? 

A.     A  Correction  of  scandalous  Professors  by  Church  Censures. 
Q.     What  is  the  season  of  attending  the  Publick  Ministry? 
A.    Especially  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  or  Lords  Day. 
Q.     When  is  Redemption  consummated  ? 

A.     In  the  Resurrection  at  the  last  Judgment,  at  the  second  coming 
of  Christ. 

Q.     How  many  Commandments  are  there  ? 
A,    Ten. 

Q.     Into  how  many  Tables  are  the  Commandments  divided  ? 
A.     Into  two  Tables. 
Q.     What  doth  the  first  Table  contain  ? 

A.     Our  duties  towards  God,  or  Duties  of  Religious  Worship,  in  the 
four  first  Commandments. 

Q.     What  doth  the  second  Table  contain  ? 
A.     Our  Duties  towards  the  Creature,  in  the  six  last. 
Q.     What  is  contained  in  the  first  Commandment? 
A.     Natural  Worship;  in   Faith,  Hope,  Love,  Fear,  hearing  the 
Word  and  Prayer. 
Q.     What  is  Hope  ? 

A.    A  cleaving  to  God  as  our  chiefest  good,  for  Blessedness. 
Q.     What  is  Love  ? 

A.    A  cleaving  to  God  as  the  chiefest  good,  and  deserving  all  Glory. 
Q.     What  is  Fear  ? 

A.    An  admiring  and  adoring  of  Gods  Holiness,  and  all  his  perfec- 
tions. 

Q.     What  is  contained  in  the  "second  Commandment  ? 

A.     Instituted  Worship ;  in  Ministry,  Sacraments,  and  Discipline. 

Q.     What  is  contained  in  the  third  Commandment'? 

A.     A  due  manner  of  Worship,  in  reverence,  devotion  and  alacrity. 

Q.     What  is  contained  in  the  fourth  Commandment  ? 

A  due  time  of  Worship,  as  all  due  seasons,  Morning  and  Eve- 


ning, especially  on  the  Lords  Day. 
Q.     What  is  con 


contained  in  the  fifth  Commandment? 

.    A  due  respect  to  the  good  name  or  dignity  of  our  Neighbour,  in 
humility,  gratitude  and  obedience. 
Q.     What  is  Humility? 

A.     A  grace  which  moderateth  the  love  of  excellency. 
Q.     What  is  Gratitude  ? 

A.     A  grace  which  disposeth  us  to  recompense  benefits. 
Q.     What  is  obedience  1 

A.    A  grace  which  disposeth  us  to  honour  all  such  as  are  in  author- 
ity, by  being  subject. 

Q.     What  is  contained  in  the  sixth  Commandment? 
A.     A  due  respect  to  the  life  of  our  Neighbour,  in  goodness,  mercy, 
meekness,  and  patience. 
Q.     What  is  Goodness? 

A  grace  which  disposeth  us  to  shew  kindriess  to  all. 
What  is  Mercy? 


A. 

Q. 
A. 
Q. 
A. 
Q. 
A. 
Q. 


A  grace  which  disposeth  us  to  relieve  all  such  as  are  in  misery. 
What  is  Meekness  ? 


A  grace  which  moderateth  anger  and  revenge. 

What  is  Patience  ? 

A  grace  which  moderateth  grief  in  Affliction. 

What  is  contained  in  the  seventh  Commandment  ? 
A.    A  due  respect  to  the  purity  of  our  Neighbour,  in  temperance, 
chastity,  modesty,  gravity. 
Q.     What  is  Temperance  ? 

A,    A  grace  which  moderateth  affection  to  all  sensual  pleasures. 
Q.     What  is  Chastity? 


APPENDIX. 


291 


A.    A  grace  which  regulateth  the  lusts  of  the  flesh. 

Q.    What  is  Modesty? 

A.    A  grace  which  restrained  us  from  wantonness. 

Q.     What  is  Gravity? 

A.    A  grace  which  inclineth  us  to  purity. 

Q.     What  is  contained  in  the  eighth  Commandment? 

A.    A  due  respect  to  the  goods  of  our  Neighbour,  in  righteousness, 
liberality,  and  frugality. 

Q.     What  is  Righteousness  ? 

A.    A  grace  which  inclineth  us  to  give  all  men  their  due. 

Q.     What  is  Liberality  ? 

A.    A  grace  which  inclineth  us  to  communicate  our  goods  freely  to 
our  Neighbour. 

Q.     What  is  Frugality  ? 

A.    A  grace  which  inclineth  us  to  be  provident  and  diligent  in  our 
Calling. 

Q.     What  is  contained  in  the  ninth  Commandment "? 

A.    A  due  respect  to  the  innocency  of  our  Neighbour  in  verity  and 
fidelity. 

Q.     What  is  Verity  ? 

A.    A  grace  which  inclineth  us  to  speak  the  truth  for  our  Neigh- 
bours good. 

Q.     What  is  Fidelity? 
.  A,    A  grace  which  inclineth  us  to  keep  our  Promises. 

Q.     What  is  contained  in  the  tenth  Commandment  ? 

ML.    A  due  respect  to  the  prosperity  of  our  Neighbour,  in  rejoycing 
in  his  prosperity,  and  accepting  our  own  portion  with  contentation. 

Q.     What  is  Contentation  r< 

A.    A  grace  which  inclineth  us  to  accept  our  own  portion,  whether 
good  or  evil,  with  Thanksgiving. 


1  Thess.  4, 3  4  5. 
lTim.2,9. 

lPet.3,23. 


.13.7. 
Ml 


Mic.  6,  i. 
Rom.  12, 18. 

•Prov.  31,27. 


Zech.8,16. 

Psalm  15, 4. 
Bom.  12, 15. 


1  Tim.  6, 6. 
Heb.  13, 5. 
PhU.4,11. 


The  preceding  catechism  is  an  exact  transcript  Crom  the  edition  of 
1714,  published  in  Boston  by  Bartholomew  Green.  It  is  the  only  copy 
I  have  ever  seen  in  Newbury,  and  was  found  among  the  papers  of 
Mr.  Ichabod  Coffin.  As  it  was  undoubtedly  composed  more  than  two 
hundred  years  ago,  I  have  thought  it  worth  preservation  as  a  specimen 
of  the  style  of  the  '  olden  time,'  and  of  the  principles  then  inculcated  on 
the  rising  generation.  Its  author,  Mr.  James  Noyes,  died  the  twenty- 
second  of  October,  1656,  in  his  forty-eighth  year. 


C.  Page  38. 

For  the  list  of  graduates,  and  other  information,  see  letter  L 

D.  Page  38. 

LIST  OF  GRANTEES,  AND  GENEALOGY  OF   THE  FIRST  SETTLERS 
FROM  1635  TO  1700. 

From  the  proprietors'  book  of  records,  folio  forty-four,  I  make  the 
following  extract. 


Mr.  Richard  Dummer, 
Mr.  Henry  Sewall, 
Mr.  Edward  Rawson, 
Mr.  Stephen  Dummer, 
Mr.  Edmund  Greenlea^ 
Mr.  John  Clarke, 
Mr.  John  Cutting, 
Henry  Short, 


Mr.  Thomas  Parker, 
Mr.  James  Noyes, 
Mr.  John  Lowle, 
Mr.  Percival  Lowle, 
Mr.  John  Spencer, 
Mr.  John  Woodbridge, 
Mr.  James  Browne, 
Thomas  Cromwell, 


292 


APPENDIX. 


Nicholas  Holt, 
Henry  Rolfe, 
John  Merrill, 
Thomas  Hale, 
Joseph  Peasley, 
William  Mors, 
John  Goff, 
John  Stevens, 
Anthony  Short, 
John  Pemberton, 
John  Pike,  senior, 
John  Musselwhlte, 
John  Emery, 
Anthony  Somerby, 
Richard  Bartlet, 
William  Moody, 
William  Franklin, 
Abraham  Toppan, 
Henry  Somerby, 
Walter  Allen, 
Thomas  Silver, 
Henry  TTravers, 
Archelaus  Woodman, 
Richard  Knight, 
Mrs.  [John]  Oliver, 
Stephen  Kent, 
Richard  Badger, 
William  Thomas, 
Widow  f William]  Stevens, 
John  Kelly, 
Francis  Plumer, 
Robert  Cokew 
William  PalrrTer, 
Thomas  Coleman, 
Nathaniel  Badger, 
William  Berry, 
Mr.  [Edward]  Woodman, 
Richard  Kent,  junior, 


Richard  Littlehale, 
Giles  Badger, 
Samuel  Scullard, 
John  Osgood, 
Abel  Hose, 
Joseph  Carter, 
John  Knight, 
Henry  Lunt, 
Thomas  Browne, 
John  Hutchins, 
Daniel  Thurston, 
John  Poor, 
John  Pike,  junior, 
Henry  Palmer, 
William  Titcomb, 
Nicholas  Batt, 
Thomas  Smith, 
William  White, 
Thomas  Davis, 
William  Ilsley, 
Samuel  Gile, 
Thomas  Dow, 
John  Swett, 
Christopher  Bartlet, 
Richard  Browne, 
John  Cheney, 
Anthony  Morss, 
Nicholas  Noyes, 
Nathaniel  Weare, 
John  Fry, 
John  Bartlet, 
Richard  Fitts, 
Thomas  Blumfield, 
George  Browne, 
John  Bond, 
John  Russ, 
Mr.  [John]  Miller. 
Ninety-one  in  all. 


' It  is  declared  and  ordered  hereby,  December  seventh,  1642,  according  to  the  former 
intentions  of  the  towne  that  the  persons  only  abovementioned  are  acknowledged  to  be 
freeholders  by  the  towne  and  to  have  proportionable  right  in  all  waste  lands,  commons 
and  rivers  undisposed,  and  such  as  by,  from,  or  under  them,  or  any  of  them  or  their 
heirs,  have  bought,  granted  and  purchased  from  them,  or  any  of  them  their  right  and 
title  thereunto  and  none  else.' 

The  number  of  proprietors,  ninety-one  originally,  was  subsequently 
increased,  either  by  grant  or  purchase,  to  one  hundred  and  thirteen,  to 
whom,  and  their  heirs,  belonged  all  unappropriated  lands,  and  so  forth, 
including  Plum  island,  which  was  sold,  in  1827,  by  the  proprietors,  to 
Moses  Pettingell,  esquire.  Of  the  original  proprietors,  some  returned 
to  England,  some  removed  to  other  towns,  and  some,  who  remained, 
sold  their  '  privilege  of  freehold,'  as  it  was  called,  to  others. 

Those,  who  are  desirous  of  more  minute  information  respecting  the 
first  settlers  of  Newbury,  whether  grantees  or  not,  and  do  not  place 
implicit  faith  in  the  almost  universal  tradition,  that  they  are  descended 
from  one  of  just  '  three  brothers,'  who  came  over  with  the  first  settlers, 
may  gratify  that  curiosity,  by  examining  the  subsequent  genealogy.  It 
contains  all  the  names,  which  are  to  be  found  ,on  record  in  any  of  the 
town  books  prior  \o  1700,  with  much  additional  information,  which  has 
been  collected  from  various  sources,  with  more  care  and  labor,  and  at- 
tended with  greater  perplexity,  than  any  other  part  of  the  book.  Many 
people,  I  suppose,  will  look  on  the  whole  collection  .of  names,  as  so 


APPENDIX.  293 

"much  labor  lost,  and  refer  me  to  Paul's  excellent  advice  to  Titus,  to 
'  avoid  foolish  questions  and  genealogies,  which  are  unprofitable  and 
vain.'  His  advice  to  Timothy  is  more  in  accordance  with  my  plan,  for 
I  have  neither  '  given  heed  to  fables,'  nor  '  endless  genealogies,'  for 
mine  end  in  1700,  sometimes  in  the  middle  of  a  family.  Some,  I  pre- 
sume, will  be  disappointed  in  not  finding  the  facts  agree  with  their 
tradition,  and  others,  perhaps,  will  be  as  much  disappointed  in  not  find- 
ing their  ancestors'  names  at  all.  Such  as  I  could  find,  I  have  inserted 
with  as  much  correctness  as  the  materials  I  have  been  able  to  obtain, 
would  permit. 

Among  such  a  mass  of  names  and  dates,  mistakes  must  be  expected, 
for  accidents,  we  are  told,  will  happen  in  the  best  families,  all  imagi- 
nable pains  to  the  contrary,  notwithstanding.  Those,  who  •would  be 
better  pleased  with  a  short,  comprehensive  genealogy  of  the  whole 
human  race,  and  one,  at  the  same  time,  free  from  error,  must  read  the 
ninth  chapter  of  Genesis :  '  Shem,  Ham  and  Japheth,  and  of  them 
was  the  whole  earth  overspread.'  As  I  have  not  room  enough  to  trace 
the  whole  line  of  descent  of  the  first  settlers  of  Newbury  from  these 
1  three  brothers,'  the  reader  must  be  content  with  that  portion  of  it, 
which  he  will  find  in  the  subsequent  pages. 

ACREMAN,  STEPHEN  m.  Sara  Stickney  17  Dec.  1684. 

ACRES.  HENRY  m.  Hannah  Silver  13  March,  1674.     Chil.— Catharine,  17  March, 

1675.  John,  2  Oct.  1678. 
ADAMS,  ROBERT,  tailor,  from  Devonshire,  Salem  1638,  Newbury  1640.     His  wife 

Eleanor  d.  12  June,  1677.     He  d.  12  Oct.  16S2,  ag.  81.     His  second  wife  Sara,  widow 

of  Henry  Short  he  m.  6  Feb.  1678.     She  d.  24  Oct.  1697.     Chil.— Abraham,  b.  1639, 

Isaac,  1648,  Jacob,  23  April,  1649,  another  Jacob,  13  Sept.  1651,  Hannah,  25  June, 

1650,  Robert,  Elizabeth,  Joanna,  Mary,  and  John. 
ADAMS,  ABRAHAM  son  of  Robert,  m.  Mary  Pettingell  16  Nov.  1670.      Chil.— 

Robert,  12  May,  1674,  Abraham,  2  May,  1676,  d.  8  April,  1763  ag.  87,  Isaac,  26  Feb. 

1679,  Sara,  15  April,  1681,  Matthew,  25  May,  1686,  Israel,  25  Dec.  1688,  Dorothy,  25 

Oct.  1691,  Richard,  22  Nov.  1693.     He  d.  14  June,  1714,  ag.  75. 
ADAMS,  JACOB  son  of  Robert,  m.  Anna  Ellen  7  April,  1677.     Chil.— Dorothy,  26 

June,  1679,  Rebecca,  26  Au£.  1680.     He  d.  in  Suffield,  Conn.  Nov.  1717  ag.  63. 
ADAMS,  ROBERT  son  of  ^Robert,  m.  Rebekah  Knight  in  1695.     Chil. — Abraham, 

S  July,  1696,  Rebekah,  28  Jan.  1698,  Mary,  3  March,  1700,  Robert,  20  Nov.  1702. 
ADAMS,  ARCHELAUS  son  of  m.  Sara  March  18  March,  1698.     Chil.— 

Sara.  22  Jan.  1699,  Mary,  29  Oct.  1701,  John,  11  Oct.  1704. 
ALLEN,  CHARLES  m.  Joanna  Scott  1703. 
ALLEN.  JOHN     Chil.— John,  28  Aug.  1656,  Samuel,  8  April,  1658,  Josepb,  18  March, 

1660,  Benjamin,  30  Jan.  1662. 

ALLEN,  WILLIAM,  Salem,  1638.     Salisbury  from  1639  to  1650. 
ALLEN.   WALTER      Cbil— Abigail,  1    Oct.  1641,  Benjamin,  15  April,  1647.     A 

Walter  Allen  d.  in  Charlestown  S  July,  1681. 
ALLY.  THOMAS  m.  Sara  Silver  9  Feb.  1671. 
'  ALFORD,  EDWARD  was  killed  14  July,  1683,  by  a  fall  in  the  ship  that  John  Rolfe 

built.' 

ANN1S,  CURMAC  alias  Charles,  b.  in  Enniskellen,  Ireland,  in  1638,  came  to  New- 
bury, m.  Sara  Chase  15  May.  166*6.     Chil. — Charles  ,  Priscilla,  8  Nov.  1677, 

Hannah,  15  Nov.  1679.  Anne,  28  Dec.  1681,  and  probably  others  unrecorded. 
ANNIS,  ABRAHAM  m.  Hannah .     Chil— Charles,  10  Feb.  1694.     Hannah,  19 

Nov.  1698,  John,  1  May,  1700,  Stephen  1  Feb.  1702,  Sara,  9  Sept.  1705. 
ANNIS,  JOSEPH  m.  Dorothy .     Chil.— Dorothy,  1  Nov.  1692,  Sara,  14  March, 

1694,  Aquila,  14  June,  1695.  Seaborn,  1  Jan.  1697,  Hannah,  19  Nov.  1696,  Abigail,  25 

Sept.  1700,  Joseph,  14  Jan.  1703. 

APPLETON,  SAMUEL  of  Ipswich,  m.  Mary  Oliver  of  Newbury  8  Dec.  1656. 
ASLETT.  JOHN  m.  Rebecca  Ayres  8  Oct.  1648. 
ATKINSON,  JOHN  hatter,  son  of  Theodore  Atkinson  of  Bury  in  Lancashire,  Eng. 

He  was  b.  in  Boston  in  1636,  was  in  Newbury  1663,  and  m.   Sara  Mirick  27  April, 

1664.     Chil.— Sara,  27  Nov.  1665,  Thomas,  27  Dec.  1669,  Theodore,  23  Jan.  1672,  and 


294  APPENDIX. 

drowned  24  July,  1685,  Abigail,  8  Nov.  1673,  Samuel,  16  Jan.  1676,  Nathaniel,  29 

Nov.  1677,  Elizabeth,  20  June,  1680,  Joseph,  1  May,  1682. 
ATKINSON,  JOHN  jun.  probably  son  of  John,  sen.  m.  Sara .     Chil— Thomas, 

16  March,  1694,  John,  29  Oct.  1695,  Theodore,  8  Oct.  1698.     He  m.  widow  Hannah 

Cheney  3  June  1700,  who  d.  5  Jan.  1705.     Chil.— Sara,  6  Nov.  1700,  Hannah,  21 

Jan.  1703. 

AYER,  JOHN  m.  Ruth  Browne  31  Oct.  1698.    Edith  b.  8  April,  1702. 
AYER,  OBADIAH  had  a  son  John  b.  2  Mar.  1663. 
AYER,  THOMAS  had  a  son  John  b.  12  May,  1657. 

AYER,  SAMUEL  m.  Abigail .     His  son  Stephen  b.  13  March,  1689. 

AYER,  SAMUEL  m.  Sara .     His  son  Jabez  b.  27  Dec.  1690. 

AYER,  THOMAS  m.  Hannah .     Chil.— Abraham,  18  June,  1688,  Sara,  29  Aug. 

1690,  Mehetabel,  5  April,  1693. 
BACHILER,  REV.  STEPHEN  b.  in  England  in  1561,  came  to  Boston  5  June,  1632, 

went  to  Lynn,  thence  in  Feb.  1636  to  Ipswich,  thence  to  Mattakeese,  now  Yarmouth, 

in  1637,  thence  to  Newbury  in  1638,  thence  to  Hampton  in  1639.     From  1647  to  1650 

he  lived  in  Portsmouth,  thence  to  England,  where  he  died  at  Hackney  aged  about 

100  years.     Chil. — Theodata,  who  m.  Mr.  Christopher  Hussey,  Deborah,  who  m. 

John  Wing  of  Sandwich, ,  who  m.  a  Sanborn,  (and  had  three  sons,  John,  Stephen, 

and  William,)  Nathaniel,  Francis  and  Stephen.     See  Lewis's  History  of  Lynn. 
BACHILER,  JOHN  of  Reading,  m.  Sara  Poore  10  Nov.  1696. 
BADGER,  GILES  Newbury,  1635.     He  d.  10  July,  1647.     His  wife  Elizabeth  was 

daughter  of  capt.  Edmund  Greenleaf.     His  son  John  was  born  30  June,  1643. 
BADGER,  RICHARD  and  NATHANIEL  brothers  to  Giles,  were  in  Newbury  1635. 

Nathaniel's  wife  was  Hannah. 
BADGER,  JOHN  son  of  Giles,  m.  Elizabeth ,  who  d.  8  April,  1669.     His  second 

wife  Hannah  Swett  he  m.  23  Feb.  1671.     He  d.  31  March,  1691,  aged  nearly  48. 

Chil.— John,  b.  4  April,  1664,  and  d.  29  July,  John,  b.  26  April,  1665,   Sara,  25  Jan. 

1667,  James,  19  March,  1669,  Stephen,  13  Dec.  1671,  Hannah,  3  Dec.  1673,  Nathaniel, 
16  Jan.  1676,  Mary,  2  May,  1678,  Elizabeth,  30  April  1680,  Ruth,  10  Feb.  1683, 
Abigail,  29  June.  1687,  Lydia,  30  April,  1690. 

BADGER,  JOHN  son  of  John,  m.  Rebecca  Brown  5  Oct.  1691.  Chil.— John,  20 
Jan.  1692,  James,  10  Jan.  1693,  Elizabeth,  5  Feb.  1695,  Stephen,  1697,  Joseph,  1698, 
Benjamin,  15  June,  1700,  Dorothy,  5  June,  1709. 

BADGER,  STEPHEN  son  of  John,  m.  Mercy ,  and  moved  to  Charlestown  and 

had  six  children. 

BADGER,  NATHANIEL  probably  son  of  John,  m.  Mary  Lunt  27  March,  1693. 

Chil. — John,  3  Jan.  1694,  a  son  [probably  Joseph]  29  Nov.  1695,  Daniel,  27  March, 

1698,  Mehetabel,  Aug.  1700,  Edmund,  2  April,  1703,  Mary,  8  Sept.  1705,  Maiy,  13 

1708,  Samuel,  14  Aug.  1710,  Anne,  25  Jan.  1712,  Enoch,  probably  in  1714. 

He  then  moved  to  Norwich,  Conn,  where  Henry  was  born  23  March,  1717. 

BAILEY,  JOHN  sen.  weaver,  from  Chippenham,  England,  was  shipwrecked  at  Pern- 
quid,  now  Bristol,  Me.  15  Aug.  1635,  went  to  Salisbury,  thence  to  Newbury  in  1650, 
where  he  died  2  Nov.  1651. 

BAILEY,  JOHN  jr.  son  of  John  sen.  was  born  in  1613,  came  to  Salisbury  and  New- 
bury, mar.  Eleanor  Emery,  sister  of  John  Emery  sen.  He  died  March  1691  aged  78. 
Chil.— Rebecca,  1641,  John,  18  May,  1643,  and  d.  22  June,  1663,  Joshua  d.  7  April, 

1652,  Sara,  17  Aug.  1644,  Joseph,  4  April,  1648,  James,  12  Sept.  1650,  Joshua,  17  Feb. 

1653,  Isaac,  22  July,  1654,  Rachel,  19  Oct.  1662,  Judith,  3  Aug.  1665,  and  d.  20  Sept. 

1668,  Rebecca. 

BAILEY,  JOSEPH  son  of  John,  jun.  m.  Priscilla  .     About  1700  he  moved  to 

Arundel,  Me.  left  in  1703,  returned  in  1714,  and  was  there  killed  by  the  Indians,  Oct. 

1723,  aged  75.     Chil.— Rebecca,  25  Oct.  1675,  Priscilla,  31  Oct.  1676,  John,  16  Sept. 

1678,  Joseph,  28  Jan.  1681,  Hannah,  9  Sept.  1683,  Daniel,  10  June,  1686,  Mary,  9  June, 

1688,  Judith,  11  Feb.  1690,  Lydia,  25  Nov.  1695,  Sarah,  14  Feb.  1698. 
BAILEY,  MR.  JAMES  son  of  John,  jun.  m.  Mrs.  Mary  Carr  17  Sept.  1672.     Chil.— 

Mary,  6  July,  1673,  Isaac,  22  Oct.  1681.     See  appendix,  letter  C. 
BAILEY,  ISAAC  son  of  John,  jun.  m.  Sara  Emery  13  June,  1683,  who  died  1  April,' 

1694.     He  m.  Rebecca  Bartlet  5  Sept.  1700.     Ch.— Isaac,  30  Dec.  1683,  Joshua,  30 

Oct.  1685,  David,  12  Dec.  1687,  Judith,  11  Feb.  1690,  Sara,  11  Feb.  1692. 
BAILEY,  JOHN  son  of ,  m.  Mary  Bartlet  2  July,  1700.     Ch.— John,  10  March, 

1701,  Joseph,  11  Oct.  1702. 
BAKER,  JOHN  was  dismissed  from  Boston  church  24  Nov.  1640,  thence  to  Acomen- 

ticus,  thence  to  Boston  again.     See  Winthrop,  vol.  2,  p.  29. 
BARBER,  THOMAS  m.  Anne  Chase  27  April,  1671.    His  son  Thomas  b.  16  Feb. 

1672. 
BALLARD,  WILLIAM  b.  in 


APPENDIX.  295 

BARTLET,  JOHN  sen.  with  four  others  of  the  same  sirname  came  to  Newbury  1635. 
He  had  a  son  John.  His  wife  Joan  d.  5  Feb.  1679.  He  died  13  April,  1678. 

BARTLET,  JOHN  jun.  son  of  John,  sen.  m.  Sara,  daughter  of  John  Knight  5  March, 
1660.  Ch.— Gideon,  18  Dec.  1(560,  Mary,  who  d.  29  March,  1682. 

BARTLET,  RICHARD  sen.  shoemaker,  brother  to  John,  sen.  He  died  25  May, 
1647.  Ch.— John,  Christopher,  Joanna,  Samuel  b.  20  Feb.  1646,  Richard. 

BARTLET,  RICHARD  jr.  son  of  John,  sen.  or  Richard  sen.  m.  Abigail .  She 

d.  1  March,  1687.  He  d.  1698,  aged  77.  Ch.— Richard,  21  Feb.  1649,  Thomas,  7 
Sept.  1650,  Abigail,  March,  1653.  John,  22  June,  1655,  Hannah,  18  Dec.  1657,  and  d. 
17  June,  1676,  Rebecca,  23  May/1661. 

BARTLET,  CHRISTOPHER  brother  to  Richard,  jr.  m.  Mary  16  April, 

1645.  Martha,  7  March,  1653.  She  d.  24  Dec.  1661.  His  second  wife,  Mary  Hoyt, 
he  m.  17  Dec.  1663.  He  died  15  March,  1670,  aged  47.  Ch. — Mary,  15  Oct.  1647, 
who  d.  young,  Anne,  28  Sept.  1650,  Martha,  March,  1653,  Christopher,  11  June,  1655, 
Jonathan,  5  July,  1657,  and  d.  7  Dec.  1759,  John,  b.  13  Sept.  and  d.  28  Dec.  1665. 

BARTLET,  SAMUEL  son  of  Richard,  sen.  m.  Elizabeth  Titcomb  23  May,  1671,  and 
d.  15  May  1732,  aged  87.  Ch.— Elizabeth,  13  May,  1672,  Abigail,  14  April,  1674, 
Samuel,  28  March,  1676,  Sara,  7  July,  1678,  Richard,  13  Feb.  1680,  Thomas,  13  Aug. 

1681,  Tirzah.  20  Jan.  1684,  Lydia,  5  Nov.  1687.     His  wife  Elizabeth  d.  26  Aug.  1690. 
BARTLET,  RICHARD  son  of  Richard,  jun.  m.  Hannah  Emery  18  Nov.  1673.     Ch. 

— Hannah,  8  Nov.  1674,  Richard,  20  Oct.  1676,  John,  23  Sept.  1678,  Samuel,  8  July, 

1680,  and  d.  20  Nov.  1685,  Daniel,  8  Aug.  1682,  Joseph,  18  Nov.  1686,  Samuel,  2  May, 

1689,  Stephen.  21  April,  163TTThomas,  14  July,  1695,  Mary,  15  Sept.  1697. 
BARTLET,  RICHARD  m.  Margaret  Woodman,  12  April,  1699.     Ch.— Richard,  27 

June,  1700,  Joseph,  18  Feb.  1702. 
BARTLET,  THOMAS  son  of  Richard,  jun.  m.  Tirzah  Titcomb  24  Nov.  1685.     He 

d.  6  April,  1689.    Ch.— Elizabeth,  7  Aug.  1686,  and  d.  15  Oct.  1689,  Tirzah,  29  March, 

1689. 
BARTLET,  JOHN  son  of  Richard,  jr.  called 'John  the  tanner,'  m.  Mary  Rust  29 

Oct.  1680.     He  d.  24  May,  1736,  aged  81.    Ch.— Mary,  17  Oct.  1681.  and  d.  29  March, 

1682,  John,  24  Jan.  1683,  Mary,  27  April,  1684,  Nathaniel,  18  April,  1685.  Dorothy, 
23  Aug.  1686,  Sara,  27  Nov.  1687,  Hannah,   13  March,  1689,  Nathan,  23  Dec.  1691, 
Abigail,  12  Aug.  1693,  Alice,  18  March,  1695. 

BARTLET,  NATHANIEL  m. .     Ch.—  James  and  Mary,  Dec.  1679. 

BARTLET,  RICHARD  3d  m.  Mary  Ordway  18  Nov.  1702. 

BARTLET,  CHRISTOPHER  jun.  m.  Deborah  Weed  29  Nov.  1677.  Ch.— Christo- 
pher, 26  Feb.  1679,  Deborah,  23  June,  1680,  Mary,  17  April,  1682.  He  d.  14  April, 
1711. 

BARTLE"T,  JOHN  the  4th  m.  Prudence  Merrill  25  Nov.  1702. 

BATT,  MR.  CHRISTOPHER,  tanner,  came  from  Salisbury,  England,  to  Newbury 
about  16  ,  thence  to  Salisbury,  where  he  resided  from  1640  to  1650,  thence  to  Boston, 
where  he  was  accidentally  shot  by  his  own  son,  who  was  firing  at  a  mark  in  his 
orchard  10  Aug.  1661.  In  his  will,  written  in  1656,  is  the  following  remarkable  ex- 
pression: 'knowing  that  I  am  at  all  tymes  and  in  the  most  secure  places  and  em- 
ployments subject  to  many  accidents  that  may  bring  me  to  my  end,'  and  so  forth. 
Ch. — John,  b.  in  Salisbury  1641,  Paul  and  Barnabas,  18  Feb.  1643,  Christopher,  Ann, 
who  m.  Edmund  Angier.  Rev.  Samuel,  who  was  a  minister  in  England,  Jane,  who 
m.  Dr.  Peter  Toppan  of  Newbury,  Sarah,  Abigail,  Thomas,  Timothy,  Ebenezer,  who 
d.  16  Aug.  1685,  and  Elizabeth,  who  died  6  July,  1652.  Mr.  Bait  was  sixty  years  old 
in  1661.  His  widow  Ann  was  living  in  1679. 

BATT,  NICHOLAS  'linnen  weaver  from  Devizes,'  England,  came  with  his  wife- 
Lucy  in  the  James  to  Boston,  June  3,  thence  to  Newbury.  He  d.  6  Dec.  1677.  His 
widow  Lucy  d.  26  Jan.  1679.  Ch.— Sara,  12  June,  1640,  and  two  other  daughters. 

BEEDLE  or  BEDELL,  ROBERT  was  b.  in  1642.  Ch.— Thomas,  30  April,  1668, 
Elizabeth,  22  Nov.  1669,  Judith.  29  March,  1671  and  d.  10  July,  1673,  Robert,  5  Jan. 
1675,  Judith,  8  March,  1676,  and  d.  22  March,  1677,  John,  23  April,  1678,  Hannah  d. 
13  Nov.  1678. 

BELCONGER,  JOHN  m.  Mary  or  Sarah  Kelly  12  April,  1666.  His  daughter  Mary 
b.  7  Dec.  1666. 

BENTE,  ROBERT  d.  30  Jan.  1648. 

BERRY,  WILLIAM  Piscataqua  1632,  Newbury  1635. 

BISHOP,  JOHN  carpenter,  m.  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Richard  Kent,  and  widow  of 
Samuel  Scullard,  Oct.  1647.  Ch. — John,  19  Sept.  1648,  Rebecca,  15  May,  1650,  Jo- 
anna, 24  April,  1652,  Hannah,  10  Dec.  1653,  Elizabeth,  31  Aug.  1655,  and  d.  6  Dec. 
1656,  Jonathan,  11  Jan.  1657,  Noah,  20  June,  1658,  David,  26  Aug.  1660.  He  removed 
to  Woodbridge,  N.  J.  and  there  died  in  Oct.  1684. 

BL  AN  CHARD,  JOHN  d.  of  the  small  pox  24  July,  1678. 


296  APPENDIX. 

BINGLEY,  WILLIAM   m.  Elizabeth  Preston  27  Feb.  1660.     His  son  William,  24 

Feb.  1662. 
BLUMFIELD,  THOMAS  sen.  an  early  settler,  died  in  1639.     Ch.— Thomas  and  a 

'  lame  daughter.' 
BLUMFIELD.  THOMAS  jun.  son  of  Thomas,  sen.     Ch.— Mary,  15  Jan.  1642,  Sarah, 

30  Dec.  1643,' John,  15  March,  1646,  Thomas,  12  Dec.  1648,  Nathaniel.  10  April,  1651, 

Ezekiel.  1  Nov.  1653.  Rebecca,  1656,  Ruth,  4  July,  1659,  Timothy,  1  April,  1604.     In 

1665,  he  moved  to  Woodbridge,  N.  J.     Gov.  Joseph  Bloomfield,  of  that  state,  was  one 

of  his  descendants. 
BOLTON,  WILLIAM  b.  in  1630,  m.  Jane  Bartlet  16  Jan.  1655.     Ch.— Mary,  25  Sept. 

1655.     His  wife  Jane  d.  6  Sept.  1659.     He  m.  Mary  Dennison,  22  Nov.  1659.     Wil- 
liam, b.  27  May,  1665,  Ruth,  1  Aug.  1667,  Elizabeth,  23  May,  1672,  and  d.  17  June, 

1674,  Elizabeth,  8  Nov.  1674,  Sara,  5  April,  1677,  Hannah,  18  July,  1679,  Joseph,  8 

July,  16S2.     William  d.  30  March,  1694,  Sara  d.  30  March,  1694. 
BOND,  JOHN  m.  Hester  Blakely  5  Aug.  1649.     After  1660  he  was  in  Rowley,  thence  to 

Haverhill,  where  he  d.  1675.     Ch.— John,  10  June,  1650,  Thomas,  29  March  and  d.  23 

May,  1652,  Joseph,  14  April,  1653,  Hester,  3  Sept.  1655,  Mary,  16  Dec.  1657,  Abigail, 

6  Nov.  1660. 
BOYNTON,  CALEB  m.  Mary  Moore  24  June,  1672.     His  son  William  b.  24  July, 

1673. 
BOYNTON,  JOSHUA  m.  Hannah  Barnet  9  April,  167S.   His  son  William  b.  26  May, 

1690. 
BOYNTON,  JOSHUA  m.  Sara  Browne,  April,  1678.    Ch.— Joshua,  4  May,  1679,  and 

d.  29  Oct.  1770,  a<red  92,  John,  15  July,  1683. 
BRABROOK,  JOHN  came  from  Watertown,  was  nephew  to  Henry  Short,  d.  in  New- 

bury  28  June,  1662.     His  two  sons  were  b.  in  Watertown  in  1642  and  1643. 
BRAD  ING,  JAMES  m.  Hannah  Rock  11  Oct.  1659.     Son  James  b.  1662. 
BRADLEY,  HENRY  m.  widow  Judith  Davis  7  Jan.  1696.         „.».  . 
BRADSTREET,  DR.  HUMPHREY  from  Rowley,  m.  Sara  &^-.     Ch.- Dorothy, 

19  Dee.  1692,  Joshua,  24  Feb.  1695,  Sara,  14  Jan.  1697,  Daniel,  13  Feb.  1701,     He  d. 

11  May,  1717. aged 
BRICKET,  NATHANIEL  m. and  had  ch.  Nathaniel.  20  Dec.  1673,  John,  3 

May,   1676,  James  and  Mary,  11   Dec.  1679,  Nathaniel,  23  'Sept.   1683,  and  was 

drowned  17  Oct.  1687. 

BRITTAIN,  FRANCIS  m.  Hannah ,  son  John  b.  25  Dec.  1695. 

BOD  WELL,  HENRY  b.  in  1654,  m.  Bithia  Emery,  daughter  of  John  Emery  4  May, 

1681.     Bithia  b.  2  June,  1682. 
BRYER.  RICHARD  m.  Eleanor  Wright  21  Dec.  1665.     She  d.  29  Aug.  1672.     Ch.— 

Richard,  19  Aug.  1667,  Elizabeth,  11  May,  1669,  Ruth,  27  Dec.  1670. 
BUSBY,  NICHOLAS  went  from  Newbury  to  Boston  where  he  d.  28  Aug.  1657. 
BURBANK,  JOHN  m.  Susanna  Merrill  15  Oct.  1663. 
BROWNE],  THOMAS  weaver,  came  to  Newbury  in  1635  from  Malford,  England.    His 

wife  Mary  d.  2  June  1655.     Ch. — Mary,  1635,  Isaac  and  Francis.     He  d.  by  a  fall  8 

Jan.  1687.  aged  80. 
BROWNE,   FRANCIS   son   of  Thomas,  m.  Mary  Johnson   21   Nov.  1653.      Ch.— 

Elizabeth,  17  Oct.  1654,  Mary.  15  April,  1657,  and  d.  4  April,  1679,  Hannah  b..  and  d. 

1659,  Sara,  10  May,  1663,  John,  13  May,  1665,  Thomas,  1  July,  1667,  and  d.  2  March, 
1689,  Joseph,  28  Sept.  1670,  Francis,  17  March,  1674,  Benjamin.  22  April,  1681. 

BROWNE,  FRANCIS  son  of  Francis,  m.  31  Dec.  1679.     He  d.  1691  aged  59. 
BROWN,  JOSEPH   son   of  Francis   m.    Sara  .     Ch.— Abigail,  6  April,   1695, 

Nathan,  18  June,  1697,  Sara.  22  June,  1698,  Nathaniel,  1  Aug.  1700. 
BROWN,  JOHN  son  of  Francis,  m.  Ruth  Huse  20  Aug.  1683.     Ch.— John,  27   Oct 

1683,  Isaac,  4  Feb.  1685. 
BROWNE,   RICHARD    Newbury,  1635.     His  wife   Edith   d.  April,   1647.     He   m. 

widow  Elizabeth  Badger,  16  Feb.  1648.     He  d.  26  April,  1661.     Ch.— Joseph  b.  and 

d.  young,  Joshua,  10  April.  1642,   Caleb,  7  May,  1645,  Elizabeth,  29  March,  1649, 

Richard,  18  Feb.  1651,  Edmund,  17  July,  1654,  Sara,  7  Sept.  1657,  Mary,  10  April, 

1660. 

BROWNE,  GEORGE  brother  to  Richard,  d.  1  April,  1642. 
BROWNE,  MARGERY  d.  26  March,  1651. 
BROWN,   RICHARD   son  of  Richard,  m.  Mary  Jaques  7  May,  1674.     His  only  son 

Richard  b.  12  Sept.  1675. 
BROWN,  REV.  RICHARD  son  of' Richard,  m.  Mrs.  Martha  Whipple  22  April,  1703. 

Ch.— Martha,  19  Feb.  1704,  John,  2  March,  1706,  William,  24  Jan.  1708,  Mary,  31 

Dec.  1 709. 
BROWN,  JOHN  son  of ,  m.  Mary  Woodman  20  Feb.  1660.     Ch.— Judith,  3  Dec. 

1660.  Mary,  8  March,  1662. 

BROWN,  JOSHUA  son  of  Richard  sen.  m.  Sara  Sawyer  15  Jan.  1669.     Ch.— Joseph, 


APPENDIX.  297 

18  Oct.  1669,  Joshua,  18  May,  1671,  Tristram,  21  Dec.  1672,  Sara,  5  Dec.  1676,  Ruth, 

29  Oct.  1678,  Samuel,  4  Sept.  16S7. 
BROWN,  ISAAC  son  of  Thomas,  m.  Rebecca  Bailey  22  Aug.  1661.     He  d.  13  May, 

1674.     Ch.— Ruth,  26  May,  1662,  Thomas,  15  Sept.  1664,  Rebecca,  15  March,  1667. 
BROWN,  THOMAS  sen.  m.  Elizabeth .     Ch.— Isaac  b.  and  d.  June,  1696,  Sara, 

26  April,  1697.  Mary,  14  Feb.  1699,  Hannah.  29  June,  1700. 

BROWN.  JOSEPH  m.  Lydia  Emery  1696.     Ch.— Joseph,  1  Nov.  1699,  Francis,  23 

June.  1702. 
BROWN.  JAMES  m.  Hannah  .     Ch. — Benjamin,  21    March,   1681,   Abraham, 

1683.  and  d.  13  Jan.  1684,  Joseph,  19  May,  1685,  Hannah,  16  Nov.  1687,  John  d.  18 

Dec.  1690. 
BROWN.  JAMES  jun.  m.  Mary  Edwards  28  April,  1694,  who  d.  5  May,  1700.     He  m. 

Rebekah  Brown  for  his  second  wife.     Ch.— Elizabeth.  14  Oct.  1696,  Sara,  8  Nov.  1701. 
BROWN,  MR.  JAMES  came  from  Southampton  in  1634.     In  1656  he  is  called  'late 

teacher  at  Portsmouth.' 
BROWN,  JAMES  jun.  son  of ,  m.  and  had  ch.  Mary  25  May,  1663,  Abigail,  24 

Oct.  1665,  Martha,  22  Dec.  1667. 
BROWN,  JOSHUA  jun.  son  of  Joshua  sen.  m.  Elizabeth .    Daughter  Elizabeth, 

27  July,  1700. 

BROWN.  JOSEPH  m.  Sara .     Son  Nathaniel,  1  Aug.  1700. 

C ALE F.  MR.  JOHN  m.  Deborah  King  of  Boston,  1702.     Ch.— John.  3  June,  1703, 

Deborah.  21  Jan.  1705. 
CARR.  JAMES  b.  28  Apr.  1650,  son  of  George  Carr  of  Salisbury,  who  died  in  1682. 

Hem.  Mary  Sears  14  Nov.  1677.     Ch.— Mary,  15  Dec.  1678,  Hannah,  16  Oct.  1680, 

Sarah,  8  May,  1682,  John,  26  Aug.  1684.  Katharine.  24  Nov.  1686,  James,  April,  1689, 

Hepzibah,  24  April,  1692,  Elizabeth,  24'March,  1694. 
CARTER.  JOSEPH  Newbury,  1636. 

CHADDOCK  or  CHADWICK,  THOMAS  m.  Sara  Woolcott  6  April.  1675.    Daugh- 
ter Sara  b.  3  Oct.  1675. 
CHANDLER,  WILLIAM  cooper,  m.  Mary ,  who  d.  29  Oct.  1666.     He  m.  Mary 

Lord  26  Feb.  1667.     Ch. — Hester,  28  Jan.  1652,  William,  Dec.  1667,  Joseph,  19  Nov. 

1669,  Samuel,  29  Feb.  1672,  Mary.  18  May,  1674.     His  wife  Mary  d.  3  Oct.  1676. 

He  d.  5  March,  1701  in  his  S5th  year.     His  third  wife   Mary   Carter  he  m.  16 

April,  1677. 
CHANDLER,  SAMUEL  son  of  William,  m.  Mercy ,  daughter  Elizabeth  b.  5 

Aug.  1695. 
CHANDLER,  WILLIAM  son  of  William,  m.  Hannah  Huntington  29  Nov.  1692. 

Ch.— John.  21  Nov.  1693,  Joseph.  19  Oct.  1694,  Mary,  5  Oct.  1696. 
CHANDLER,  JOSEPH  son  of  William,  m.  Mary  Hall  10  Feb.  1700.     Ch.— Joseph 

and  John,  23  April,  1701,  Samuel,  3  March,  1703. 
CHASE,  AQUILA  mariner,  from  Cornwall,  England,  was  in  Hamplon  1640,  Newbury 

1646.     He  m.  Anne  Wheeler  of  Hampton.     He  d.  27  Dec.  1670  aged  52.     Ch.— 

Sarah, .  Anne,  6  July,  1647,  Priscilla,  14  March,  1649,  Mary,  3  Feb.  1651,  Aquila, 

26  Sept.  1652,  Thomas,  25  July,  1654,  John,  2  Nov.  1655,  Elizabeth,  13  Sept.  1657. 

Ruth,  18  March,  1660,  andd.  30  May  1676,  Daniel,  9  Dec.  1661,  Moses,  24  Dec.  1663. 
CHASE,  THOMAS  son  of  Aquila,  m.  Rebecca  Follansbee  22  Nov.  1677.      Ch.— 

Thomas,  15  Sept.  1680,  Jonathan.  13  Jan.  1683.  James,  15  Sept.  1685.  Aquila,  15  July, 

1688,  Ruth.  28  Feb.  1691,  Mary,  15  Jan.  1695,  Rebecca,  26  April,  1700. 
CHASE,  AQUILA  son  of  Aquila,  m. .     Ch. — Esther,  18  Nov.  1674,  Joseph, 

25  March.  1677,  Priscilla,  15  Oct.  1681. 
CHASE.  MOSES  son  of  Aquila,  m.  Ann  Follansbee  10  Nov.  1684.     Ch.— Moses  and 

Daniel,  20  Sept.  1685,  Moses,  20  Jan.  1688,  Samuel.  13  May,  1690,  Elizabeth,  25  Sept. 

1693,  Stephen,  29  Aug.  1696,  Hannah,  13  Sept.  1699,  Joseph,  9  Sept.  1705. 
CHASE.  JOHN  son  of  Aquila,  m.  Elizabeth  Bingley  23  May,  1677.     Ch.— William, 

3  Jan.  1679.  Philip,  23  Sept.  1688,  Charles, 
CHASE,  DANIEL  son  of  Aquila,  m.  Martha  Kimball  25  May,  1683.     Ch.— Martha, 

18  Aug.  1684,  Sarah,  18  July,  1688,  Dorothy,  24  Jan.  1689,  Isaac,  19  Jan.  1691.  Lydia, 

1693,  Mehetabel,  19  Jan.  1695,  Judith,  19  Feb.  1697,  Abner,  15  Oct.  1699,  Daniel,  15 

Oct.  1702. 

CHASE,  JOSEPH  son  of  m.  Abigail  Tburston,  8  Nov.  1699. 

CHASE,  THOMAS  jr.  m.  Sara .     Ch.— Thomas,  20  Nov.  1700,  Abel,  25  Feb. 

1702  Jonathan,  19  May,  1703. 

CHASE.  JONATHAN,  m.  Joanna  Palmer  of  Bradford,  1703. 
CHEATER.  JOHN  Newbury,  1644,  thence  to  Wells,  Maine.     Ch.— Hannah,  7  Aug. 

1644,  Lydia,  12  Jan.  1648. 
CHISEMORE,  DANIEL  m.  Cyprian .     Ch.— Sara,  10  Sept.  1696.     Abigail,  15 

May,  1699. 

'    38 


29S  APPENDIX. 

CHENEY,  JOHN  shoemaker.  Roxbury  1635.  Newbury  1636.  His  wife  was  Mar- 
tha. Ch.— Daniel,  1635,  Sara,  Feb.'  1637,  Peter,  1639,  Hannah,  16  Nov.  1642, 
Nathaniel,  12  Jan.  1645,  and  d.  24  April,  1684,  Elizabeth,  14  Jan.  1648,  John,  Mary, 
and  Martha. 

CHENEY,  DANIEL  son  of  John,  m.  Sara  Bailey  8  Oct.  1665.  Ch.— Sara,  11  Sept, 
1666,  Judith,  1668.  Daniel,  31  Dec.  1670,  Hannah,  3  Sept.  1673,  Joseph,  10  July,  1676T 
Eleanor,  29  March,  1679,  James,  6  April,  1685,  Daniel,  sen.  d.  10  Sept.  1694. 

CHENEY,  PETER  son  of  John,  m.  Hannah  Noyes  14  May,  1663.  Ch.— Peter,  6 
Nov.  1663,  Nicholas,  23  Dec.  1667,  Mary,  2  Sept.  1671;,  John,  10  May.  1666,  Nathaniel, 
2  Oct.  1675,  and  d.  30  July,  1677,  Jemima,  29  Nov.  1677,  Eldad,  24  Oct.  1681,  Han- 
nah, 13  Sept.  1683,  Ichabod,  22  Sept.  1685. 

CHENEY,  JOHN  son  of  John,  m.  Mary  Plumer  20  May,  1660.  He  d.  7  Jan.  1673, 
Ch. — Mary,  29  March,  1661,  Martha,  11  Sept.  1663,  John,  29  Jan.  1669. 

CHENEY,  "JOHN  m.  Mary  Chute  7  March,  1694.  Ch.— Edmund,  29. June,  1696r 
Martha,  30  July,  1700,  Mary.  14  Nov.  1701.  John,  23  May,  1705. 

CHENEY,  PETER,  jr.  m.  Mary  .  Ch.— Nicholas,  14  March,  1693,  and  d.  7 

Aug.  1774,  Benjamin,  6  Jan.  1699. 

CHENEY,  DANIEL  son  of  Daniel,  jr.  m.  Hannah .     Son  Daniel  b.  16  July.  1699.. 

CHENEY,  JOHN  m.  Mary  Chute  7  March,  1694.  Ch.— Edmund,  29  June,  1696,. 
Mary,  14  Nov.  1701. 

CHENEY,  JOSEPH  m.  Sarah  Wiswall  1702. 

CHUTE,  LIONEL  of  Rowley,  m.  Ann  Cheney  1702. 

CLARK,  DR.  JOHN  b.  in  England  1598,  came  to  Newbury  1638,  moved  to  Boston 
1651,  where  he  died  in  1664  aged  66.  His  son  John  was  also  a  physician  in  Boston. 

CLARK.  MR.  NATHANIEL  sen.  merchant,  m.  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Henry 
Somerby,  23  Nov.  1663.  Ch.— Nathaniel,  5  Dec.  1664,  and  d.  6  June,  1665,  Nathaniel, 
13  March,  1666,  Thomas,  9  Feb.  1668,  John,  24  June,  1670,  Henry,  5  July  1673, 
Daniel,  16  Dec.  1675,  Sarah.  12  Jan.  1678,  Josiah,  7  May,  1682,  Elizabeth,  15  May, 
1684,  Judith,  Jan.  1687,  Mary,  25  March,  1689.  Having  been  wounded  on  board  of 
the  ship  '  Six  Friends '  in  the  expedition  to  Canada,  he  there  died  25  Aug.  1690  aged  46. 
His  widow  Elizabeth  m.  Rev.  John  Hale  of  Beverly,  8  Aug.  1698. 

CLARK,  NATHANIEL  son  of  Nath.  sen.  m.  Elizabeth  Toppan,  15  Dec.  1685, 
Daughter  Elizabeth  b.  27  July,  1686. 

CLARK,  THOMAS  son  of  Nath.  sen.  m.  Sara  .  Ch.— Sara,  25  Dec.  1690, 

Thomas,  2  Sept.  1692,  Nathaniel,  23  Oct.  1694,  Martha,  12  April,  1696,  Mary,  16  Aug. 
1698,  Daniel,  26  Jan.  1701. 

CLARK,  MR.  HENRY,  son  of  Nath.  sen.  m.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Greenleaf  7  Nov.  1695. 
Ch.— Stephen,  21  Feb.  1697,  Henry,  21  Nov.  1698,  Judith,  15  Aug.  1700,  Sara,  7 
May,  1702. 

CLARK,  JONATHAN  m.  Lydia  Titcomb,  15  May,  16S3.  Ch.— Oliver,  6  Feb.  1684, 
Samuel,  18  March,  1688,  Jonathan,  24  May,  1689,  Lydia,  17  May,  1691,  Elizabeth,  10 
May,  1694. 

CLEMENS,  ABRAHAM  m.  Hannah  Gove  10  March,  1683.  Son  Edmund  b.  3 
March,  1684.  He  then  removed  to  Hampton,  N.  H.  and  had  seven  other  children. 

CO  ATE  S,  THOMAS  and  Martha  had  a  son  Philip  b.  28  March,  1699. 

COLEMAN,  THOMAS  laborer,  or  '  Coultman '  as  he  himself  wrote  it,  was  born  in 
1602,  came  from  Marlboro,  Wiltshire,  England,  to  Newbury  in  the  James,  which 
arrived  at  Boston,  3  June  1635.  His  first  wife  Susanna  d.  17  Nov.  1650.  The  same 
year  he  removed  to  Hampton  and  m.  Mary,  widow  of  Edmund  Johnson  11  July,  1651, 
who  died  in  Hampton  30  Jan.  1663.  His  third  wife  was  Margery.  After  1680  he 
moved  to  Nantucket,  where  he  died  in  1685  aged  S3.  Ch. — Benjamin,  1  May,  1640, 
Joseph,  2  Dec.  1642,  Isaac,  20  Feb.  1647,  Joanna,  John  and  Tobias.  The  last  was 
the  son  of  the  third  wife. 

COLEMAN,  SUSANNA  d.  in  Newbury,  2  Jan.  1643. 

COLEMAN,  THOMAS  m.  Phebe  Pearson,  who  d.  28  June,  1754.  Ch.— Dorcas,  b. 
26th,  and  d.  27th  April,  1703,  John,  8  March,  1704. 

COLEMAN,  EPHRAIM  m.  Susanna .  Ch.— Ephraim,  3  June,  1701,  Hannah, 

10  March,  1703. 

COOPER,  JOHN  m.  Sarah  Salmon,  6  Jan.  1703. 

COFFIN,  MR.  TRISTRAM  was  born  in  1609  in  Brixham  parish,  town  of  Plymouth 
in  Devonshire,  Great  Britain.  He  was  the  son  of  Peter  and  Joanna  Coffin.  Tristram 
m.  Dionis  Stevens,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father,  he  came  to  New  England  in 
1642,  bringing  with  him  his  mother,  who  died  May  1661,  ag.  77,  his  two  sisters,  Eu- 
nice and  Mary,  his  wife  and  five  children,  Peter,  Tristram,  Elizabeth,  James  and 
John.  He  at  first  came  to  Salisbury,  thence  to  Haverhill  the  same  year,  thence  to 
Newbury  about  the  year  1648,  thence  in  1654  or  5  he  removed  to  Salisbury,  where 
he  signs  his  name  '  Tristram  CofFyn,  commissioner  of  Salisbury.'  In  1659,  a  com- 


APPENDIX.  299 

pany  was  formed  in  Salisbury,  who  purchased  nine-tenths  of  Nantucket,  whither  he 
removed  in  1660  with  his  wife,  mother  and  four  of  his  children,  James,  John,  Stephen, 
who  was  born  in  Newbury  11  May,  1652,  and  Mary,  who  was  born  in  Haverhill  20 
Feb.  1645.  He  died  1681  aged  72. 

His  son  Peter  was  born  in  1630,  and  resided,  the  principal  part  of  his  life,  at  Dover,  N. 
H.  In  the  Boston  News  Letter,  I  find  the  following : 

'  On  Monday  21  March  171 5  died  at  Exeter  Hon.  Peter  Coffin  esquire  in  the  85th  year 
of  his  age,  late  judge  of  his  majesty's  superior  court  of  judicature,  and  first  member 
of  his  majesty's  council  of  the  province,  a  gentleman  very  serviceable  both  in  church 
and  state.' 

Hon.  Peter  Coffin  had  nine  children. 

COFFIN,  TRISTRAM  b.  in  1632,  son  of  Tristram,  merchant  tailor,  lived  in  New- 
bury, m.  March  2,  1653,  Judith  Somerby,  widow  of  Henry  Somerby,  and  daughter  of 
captain  Edmund  Greenleaf.  Ch.— Judith,  b.  4  Dec.  1653,  Deborah,  Nov.  10,  1655, 
Mary,  Nov.  12,  1657,  James,  April  22.  1659,  John,  Sept.  8, 1660,  and  d.  May  13,  1677, 
Lydia,  April  22, 1662,  Enoch,  Jan.  21  1663,  and  d.  Nov.  12,  1675,  Stephen,  Aug.  18, 
1664,  Peter,  July  27,  1667,  Nathaniel,  22  March,  1669.  Tristram,  jr.  d.  4  Feb.  1704, 
aged  72.  Judith,  his  widow,  died  15  Dec.  1705,  aged  80,  leaving  177  descendants. 

COFFIN,  JAMES  son  of  Tristram,  sen.  12  Aug.  1640,  m.  Mary  Severance,  of  Sal- 
isbury, 3  Dec.  1663,  moved  to  Nantucket  and  had  fourteen  children.  He  d.  28  July, 
1720,  aged  80  years  wanting  14  days. 

COFFIN,  JOHN  son  of  Tristram,  sen.  b.  in  Haverhill  13  Oct.  1647,  (his  first  son  John 
having  died  in  Haverhill  30. 1642,)  m.  Deborah  Austin,  and  had  seven  children  in 
Nantucket.  He  d.  1711,  aged  64. 

COFFIN,  STEPHEN  son  of  Tristram,  sen.  b.  in  Newbury  10  May,  1652,  m.  Mary- 
Bunker  and  had  eight  or  nine  children,  and  was  living  in  May,  1728.  He  d.  1735, 
aged  83. 

COFFIN,  MARY  dau.  of  Tristram,  b.  in  Haverhill,  m.  Nathaniel  Starbuck  of  Nan- 
tucket and  had  six  children.  She  died  in  1717. 

COFFIN,  ELIZABETH,  daughter  of  Tristram,  sen.  b.  in  England,  and  m.  Stephen 
Greenleaf. 

Tristram  Coffin's  sister  Eunice  m.  William  Butler,  and  sister  Mary  m.  Alexander 
Adams  of  Boston. 

COFFIN,  JAMES  son  of  Tristram,  jun.  m.  Florence  Hook,  Nov.  16  1685.  Ch.Wu- 
dith,  7  Oct.  1686,  Elizabeth, ,  Sarah,  Aug.  20,  1689,  Mary,  Jan.  18.  1691,  Lydia, 

1692,  Tristram.  19  Oct.  1694,  Daniel,  May  10,  1696,  Eleanor,  May  16, 1698,  Joanna, 
2  May,  1701.  James  and  Florence,  Jan.  1,  1705. 

COFFIN,  .STEPHEN  son  of  Tristram,  jun.  m.  Sarah  Atkinson,  1685,  and  d.  31  Aug. 

1725.     Ch.— Sarah,  May  16,  1686,  Tristram,  14  Jan.  1688,  Tristram,  6  March,  1689, 

Lydia.  21  July,  1691,  Judith,  23  Feb.  1693,  John,  20  Jan.  1695. 
COFFIN,  PETER  son  of  Tristram,  jun.  m.  Apphia  Dole,  and  moved  to  Gloucester. 

Ch.— Hannah,  March  3,  1688,  Judith,  Oct.  9, 1693.  Tristram,  Aug.  10, 1696.  Richard, 

,  Sarah,  August  24,  1701,  Apphia, ,  Apphia, . 

COFFIN,    HON.  NATHANIEL  son  of  Tristram,  jun.  m.  Sarah  Dole,  March  29 

1693.  He  died  20  Feb.  1748.     Ch.— John,  Jan.  21,  1694,  Enoch,  7  Feb.  1696,  Apphia, 
June  9, 1698,  Brocklebank  Samuel,  24  Aug.  1700,  Joseph,  Dec.  30, 1702,  Jane.  5  Aug. 
1705,  Edmund,  19  March,  1708,  Moses,  11  June,  1711.     The  posterity  of  Tristram, 
jun.  in  1705,  was  177.  in  1722.  319,  and  in  1728,  446. 

The  family  of  Tristram  Coffin,  sen.  and  their  descendants,  have  been  unusually  pro- 
lific. '  The  first  grandchild  of  Tristram  Coffin  was  Stephen  Greenleaf,  who  was  born 
15  Aug.  1652.  He  well  remembered  his  great  grandmother,  and  lived  to  see  his  great 
grandchildren,  and  transmitted  the  following  account  of  the  increase  of  said  family 
at  two  different  periods,  from  August,  1652,  to  August,  1722,  and  from  August,  1722, 
to  May,  1728,  a  period  of  five  years  and  nine  months, :  reckoning  only  children  by 
blood.' 

1722  1728 

Peter, 118  83  50  102 

Tristram, 319  225  127  336 

Elizabeth  Greenleaf, 251  206  89  259 

James, 187  162  106  241 

Mary  Starbuck, 119  90  36  117 

John, 64  52  17  69 

Stephen,  19  53  19  64 

1138    871    444   1128 
444 

1582 


300  APPENDIX. 

The  first  column  shows  the  number,  who  were  born  before  August,  1722,  the  second, 
the  number  then  living,  the  third,  the  number,  which  had  been  added  between  Au- 
gust, 1722,  and  May,  1728,  and  the  fourth,  the  number  living  in  May,  1728.  The 
whole  number  of  his  descendants,  which  were  born  between  1652  and  1728,  was 
1582,  of  which  1128  were  living  in  May,  1728. 

COKER,  ROBERT  yeoman,  born  in  1606,  came  to  Newbury  with  the  first  settlers 
and  d.  19  May,  1680,  aged  74.  His  wife  Catherine  d.  2  May,  1678,  Ch.— Joseph,  6 
Oct.  1640.  Sara.  24  Nov.  1643,  Benjamin,  30  June,  1650,  Hannah.  15  Jan.  1645. 

COKER,  JOSEPH  son  of  Robert,  m.  Sara  Hathorne  13  April,  1665.  Ch.— Sara,  who 
d.  30  Nov.  1667,  Benjamin,  11  March,  1671,  Sara,  28  Nov.  1676,  Hathorne,  25  April, 
1679.  His  wife  Sara  d.  8  Feb.  1688. 

COKER,  BENJAMIN  son  of  Robert,  m.  Martha  Perley  31  May,  1678.  Ch.— Benja- 
min, 13  Sept.  1680,  Hannah,  10  March,  1683,  Moses,  4  Aug.  1686,  Sara,  13  April, 
1688,  Mary,  18  Sept.  1691,  Mercy,  22  Oct.  1693,  John,  9  June,  1698,  Judith,  9  June, 
1701. 

COKER,  MR.  BENJAMIN  jr.  son  of  Joseph,  m.  Mrs.  Ann  Price  24  Nov.  1692.  Ch. 
—Mary,  14  May,  1 693,  Joseph,  23  Dec.  1694,  Elizabeth,  2  Feb.  1699,  Sara,  19  Feb. 
1701,  Anne,  3  March,  1703. 

COTTLE,  WILLIAM  son  of  Edward,  of  Salisbury,  came  to  Newbury.  Ch.— Ezra, 
5  May,  1662,  Ann,  12  July,  1663,  Susanna,  16  Aug.  1665.  He  d.  30  April,  1668. 

COTTLE,  EZRA  son  of  William,  m.  Mary  Woodbridge  6  July,  1695.  Ch.— William, 
27  July,  1696,  Mary,  31  March,  1698,  Edmund,  15  Feb~  1700. 

COURTEOUS,  WILLIAM  d.  31  Dec.  1654. 

CROMLON  alias  CROMWELL,  GILES  an  early  settler  in  Newbury.  His  first 

wife d.  14  June,  1648.  He  m.  Alice  Wiseman  10  Sept.  1648,  who  d.  6  June, 

1669.  Ch. — Argentine,  who  m.  Benjamin  Cram  25  Nov.  1662,  and  Philip,  who 
was  a  butcher  in  Salem.  Giles  d.  25  Feb.  1673. 

CROMWELL,  JOHN  born  in  1636  m.  Joan  Butler  2  Nov.  1662. 

CROMWELL,  THOMAS  born  in  1617,  was  in  Newbury  in  1637,  moved  to  Hamp- 
ton in  1639,  and  died  in  Boston  in  1649. 

CUTTING,  CAPT.  JOHN  from  London,  settled  in  Charlestown,  thence  to  Newbury, 
about  1642.  He  d.  20  Nov.  1659.  His  widow,  Mary  Miller,  d.  6  March,  1663.  Ch. — 
Sarah,  wife  of  James  Brown,  and  Mary,  wife  of  Samuel  Moody. 

DAVIS,  THOMAS  sawyer  of  Marlborough,  Eng.  m.  Christian  — '—  in  England,  was 
in  Newbury,  1641,  in  1642  in  Haverhill,  where  he  died  in  1683,  aged  80.  His  poster- 
ity are  numerous. 

DAVIS,  JOHN  an  early  settler,  married .  Ch. — Mary,  6  Oct.  1642,  John, 

15  Jan.  1645,  Zachary,  22  Feb.  1646,  Jeremy,  21  June,  1648,  Mary,  12  Aug.  1650, 
Cornelius,  15  April.  1653,  Ephraim,  29  Sept.  1655.  He  d.,12  Nov.  1675. 

DAVIS,  JOHN  son  of  John,  m.  Sara  Carter  8  April,  1681.  Ch.— Mary,  23  March, 
1683,  Sara.  13  July,  1685,  John,  son  of  John  and  Mary,  b.  29  July,  1692. 

DAVIS,  CORNELIUS  son  of  John,  m.  Sara .  -Ch.— Samuel,  11  April,  1689,  Ju- 
dith, 2  June,  1691,  Cornelius,  9  Oct.  1693,  James,  5  April,  1695  and  d.  in  1697,  Eliz- 
abeth, 15  July,  1697.  His  wife  Sara  d.  6  March,  1696.  He  m.  Elizabeth  Hidden  in 
1696. 

DAVIS,  EPHRAIM  son  of  John,  m.  Elizabeth .  Ch.— Elizabeth,  7  April,  1690, 

John,  17  May,  1692,  Mary,  20  July,  1694,  Ephraim,  20  March.  1697,  Joseph,  16  Nov. 
1699. 

DAVIS,  ZACHARY  son  of  John,  m.  Judith  Brown,  4  Feb.  1681.  Ch.— Judith,  7 
Sept.  1684  and  d.  9  Dec.  1702,  Elizabeth,  26  April,  1687. 

DAVIS.  WILLIAM  of  Haverhill,  m.  Mary  Kelly  31  Dec.  1700. 

DANFORTH,  WILLIAM  was  born  in  London  in  1653,  and  came  to  Newbury  as 

early  as  1667.  He  m. ,  who  died  18  Oct.  1678.  His  second  wife  was  Sarah 

Thurlow.  Ch.— William,  Mary,  .Richard.  31  Jan.  1680,  John,  8  Dec.  1681,  and  d. 
Oct.  1,  1772,  aged  92,  Jonathan,  18  May,  1685,  Thomas,  11  Sept.  1688,  Francis,  15 
March,  1691,  Joseph,  12  May,  1694. 

DAVISON,  MR.  DANIEL  came  from  Ipswich  to  Newbury,  m.  Mrs.  Abigail  Coffin, 
of  Dover.  Ch.— Nicholas,  16  May,  1680,  Sara,  1  Feb.  1682.  Daniel,  23  May,  1686, 
Mary,  21  May,  1689,  Peter,  20  Oct.  1692. 

DELANE,  PHILIP  probably  a  Frenchman,  came  to  Newbury  from  Portsmouth  in 
1694  with  his  wife  Margery  and  two  children.  His  wife  died  26  Aug.  1694.  In  1695 
he  m.  Jane  Atkinson.  Ch. — Daniel,  24  June,  1694.  Charles,  Oct.  and  died  in  Dec. 
1698,  Paul,  16  Oct.  1699,  Joseph,  22  June,  and  died'Nov.  16,  1702,  Eve,  10  July  and 
d.  18  Sept.  1701,  James.  16  Aug.  17fl4. 

DOGGETT,  JOHN  m.  22  June,  1697. 

POLE,  RICHARD  merchant,  b.  in  Bristol,  England,  1624,  came  to  Newbury  1639 
He  m.  Hannah  Rolfe  3  May,  1647.  who  d.  16  Nov.  1678.  His  second  wife  was  Han 


APPENDIX.  301 

nah,  widow  of  Capt.  Samuel  Bfocklebank,  of  Rowley,  whom  he  m.  4  March.  1679. 
His  third  wife  was  Patience  Walker,  of  Haverhill.  Ch. — John,  10  Aug[.  1648,  Rich- 
ard, 6  Sept.  1650,  Anna,  26  March,  1653,  Benjamin,  14  June,  1654.  Joseph".  5  Aug.  1657, 
William,  10  April,  1660,  Henry,  9  March,  1663,  Hannah,  23  Oct.  1665,  Apphia,  7 
December,  1668,  Abner,  8  March,  1672.  Richard,  sen.  d. 

DOLE.  MR.  JOHN  son  of  Richard,  was  a  physician.  He  m.  Mrs.  Mary  Gerrish,  23 
Oct.  1676.  Ch. — Hannah,  16  Aug.  1677,  Benjamin,  16  Nov.  1679,  Mary,  14  Nov. 
1681,  Sara,  11  Dec.  1683,  John,  16~Feb.  1686,  Moses,  24  Dec.  1688,  Elizabeth,  16  Aug. 
1692. 

DOLE,  RICHARD  son  of  Richard,  m.  Sara  Greenleaf  7  June,  1677.     Ch.— Richard, 

28  April,  1678.  d.  Aug.  1764  aged  86,  Elizabeth,  21   Dec.  1680,  Sara,  14  Feb.  1681, 
Hannah,  5  Dec.  1682.  John,  2  Feb.  1684,  Stephen,  2  Dec.  1686,  Stephen,  1687,  Joseph, 
5  Dec.  1689,  Mary,  1  July.  1694. 

DOLE,  MR.  BENJAMIN  son  of  Richard,  was  a  physician  in  Hampton,  N.  H.  He 
m.  Frances,  daughter  of  capt.  Samuel  Sherburne,  11  Dec.  1700.  Ch. — Jonathan, 
Mary,  and  Love.  He  d.  in  1707,  aged  53.  She  died  15  Aug.  1744,  aged  67. 

DOLE,  WILLIAM  son  of  Richard,  m.  Mary  Brocklebank  13  Oct.  1684.  Ch.— Wil- 
liam, 12  Jan.  1685,  Hannah,  28  March,  1686,  Mary,  1  Feb.  1688.  Richard,  31  Dec.  1689, 
Jane,  23  Jan.  1692.  Patience,  8  April,  1694,  Apphia,  13  May,  1696,  Samuel,  1  June, 
1699,  Benjamin,  2  July,  1702. 

DOLE,  HENRY  son  of  Richard,  m.  Sara  Brocklebank.  Ch.— Apphia,  28  Feb.  1688, 
and  d.  9  Oct.  1694,  Sara,  12  Feb.  1690. 

DOLE,  ABNER  son  of  Richard,  m.  Mary  Jewett  1  Nov.  1694,  who  d.  25  Nov.  1695. 
He  m.  Sara  Belcher,  of  Boston.  5  Jan.  1679.  Ch.— Henry,  28  Oct.  1695,  Nathaniel, 

29  March,  1701,  Sara.  14  Jan.  1703,  Abner.  19  May,  1706. 

DOW,  THOMAS  an  early  settler,  m.  Phebe .     Ch.— Stephen,  29  March,  1642, 

Mary,  26  April,  1644,  Martha,  1  June,  1648,  John  and  Thomas.     He  died  in  Haver- 
hill,  31  May,  1654. 
DOWNER,  JOSEPH  m.  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Knight  9  July,  1660.     Ch.— Mary. 

18  March,  1662,  Joseph,  25  March,  1666,  Andrew,  25  July,  1672. 
DOWNER,  JOSEPH  son  of  Joseph,  m.  Hannah  .     Ch. — Joseph,  29  Sept.  1693, 

John,  15  March,  1695,  Andrew,  14  May,  1697,  Samuel,  12  April,  1699,  Richard,  11 

Feb.  1702,  Hannah,  16.  Feb.  1704,  Benjamin,  24  Feb.  1706. 
DOWNER,  ANDREW  son  of  Joseph,  m.  Susanna  Huntingtdn  28  Dec.  1699.     Ch.— 

John,  22  Oct.  1700,  Mary,  22  May,  1702,  Gideon,  5  Sept.  1703. 

DOW,  MOSES  m.  Sara .     Daughter  Mary,  13  Aug.  1694. 

DUMMER,  MR.  RICHARD  came  from  Bishopstoke,  England,  in  1632,  to  Roxbury, 

thence  to  Newbury,  1636.     His  second  wife,  Mrs.  Francis  Burr,  he  married  about 

1643.     Ch.— Shubael.  17  Feb.  1636,  Jeremiah.  14  Sept.  1645,   Hannah,  7   Nov.  1647, 

Richard,  13  Jan.  1650,  William,  18  Jan.  1659,  Richard  sen.  d.  14  Dec.  1679,  aged  88. 

Frances,  his  wife  d.  19  Nov.  1682,  aged  70. 
DUMMER,  JEREMIAH  son  of  Richard,  moved  to  Boston,  where  he  died  25  May, 

1718,  in   his   73d  year.     His   son  Jeremy  was  a  most  distinguished  scholar,  and 

the  agent  for  Massachusetts  in  England.     He  died  in  Plaistow,  England,  19  May, 

17S9. 
DUMMER,  MR.  RICHARD  son  of  Richard,  m.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Appleton  12  Nov. 

1673.     He  d.  4  July,  1689,  aged  44.     Ch.— Hannah,  12  Aug.  1674,  John,  8  Aug.  1676, 

Richard,  21  July,  and  d.  Sept.  1678,  Richard,  22  June,  1680,  Elizabeth,  28  July,  1682, 

Nathaniel,  1685.  and  d.  27  Feb.  1767,  Shubael,  10  Jan.  1687. 
DUMMER,  THOMAS  and  STEPHEN  brothers  to  Richard,  sen.     Thomas  lived  in 

Salisbury.     Stephen  m.  Alice  Archer.     Ch. — Mehetabel,  1.  Jan.  1640,  and  Jane,  who 

m.  Henry  Sewall. 

DUMMER.  REV.  SHUBAEL  son  of  Richard  sen.     See  list  of  graduates. 
DUNKIN.  SAMUEL  Newbury.  1638. 
EASTMAN,  PHILIP  m.  Mary  Morse  22  Aug.  1678. 
EASTON,  MR.  NICHOLAS  tanner,  came  from  Wales,  was  in  Ipswich  1634,  and  in 

Newbury  in  1635.     In  1639,  he  moved  to  Portsmouth,  R.  I.  thence  to  Newport.     He 

d.  1675.  aged  S3. 

EASTON,  JOHN  son  of  Nicholas,  died  in  1705,  in  Rhode  Island,  in  his  85th  year. 
EASTOW,  WILLIAM  came  to  Newbury,  thence  to  Hampton  in  1639.     He  died  23 

Nov.  1655.    Ch. — Sara,  who  m.  Maurice  Hobbs,  and  Mary,  who  m.  Thomas  Marston. 
EELS,  JOHN  'bee-hive  maker,'  came  to  Newbury,  1645,  and  died  25  Nov.  1653,  aged 

78. 

ELDREDGE,  REBECCA  d.  15  Nov.  1657. 
EMERY,  ANTHONY  carpenter,  came  from  Romsey,  England,  in  June,  1635,  in  the 

ship  James  to  Newbury,  thence  to  Dover  as  early  as  1644,  thence  to  Kittery. 
EMERY.  JOHN  carpenter,  brother  to  Anthony,  came  with  him  to  Newbury  in  1635. 


302  APPENDIX. 

He  died  3  Nov.  1083,  aged  85.  Ch. — John,  born  in  England,  about  1629.  '  Ebenezrr, 
a  daughter,  16  Sept.  1648,  being  Monday  morning  two  houres  before  day,'  Jonathan, 
13  May,  1652. 

EMERY,  JOHN  son  of  John,  sen.  m.  Mary  Webster,  widow  of  John  Webster,  of  Ip- 
swich, 29  Oct.  1650.  Ch.— Mary,  24  June,  1652,  Hannah,  26  April,  1654,  John,  12 
Sept.  1656,  Bethia,  15  Oct.  1658,  Sarah,  26  Feb.  1661,  Joseph,  23  March,  1663,  Stephen, 
6  Sept  1666,  Abigail,  16  Jan.  1669,  Samuel,  20  Dec.  1670,  Judith,  5  Feb.  1673.  Lydia, 
19  Feb.  1675,  Elizabeth,  8  Feb.  1680,  Josiah,  28  Feb.  1681.  John  Emery,  d.  m  1693, 
aged  65.  Mary,  his  widow,  d.  28  April,  1694. 

EMERY,  JONATHAN  son  of  John,  sen.  m.  Mary  Woodman  29  Nov.  1676.  Ch.— 
Mary,  25  Sept.  1677,  Jonathan,  2  Feb.  1679,  David,  28  Sept.  1682,  Anthony,  13  Nov. 
1684",  Stephen,  13  Jan.  1687,  and  d.  8  Oct.  1688,  Sara,  18  Dec.  1688,  Stephen,  24  June, 

1692,  Edward,  10  Nov.  1694. 

EMERY,  JOHN  son  of  John,  jun.  m.  Mary  Sawyer  13  June,  1683.  Ch.— Mary,  25 
Dec.  1684,  John,  29  Sept.  1686,  Josiah,  19  Dec.  1688,  Daniel,  15  June.  1693,  Lydia,  29 
April,  1698,  Samuel,  25  Oct.  1699.  His  wife  Mary  died  3  Nov.  1699.  He  then  m. 
Abigail  Bartlet.  27  May,  1700. 

EMERY,  STEPHEN  son  of  John,  jun.  m.  Ruth  Jaques,  29  Nov.  1692.  Ch.— Anna, 
10  Oct.  1693,  Sarah.  1  Jan.  1696,  Ruth,  16  June,  1698,  Mary,  15  Dec.  1700,  Judith,  25 
Feb.  1703,  Abigail,  4  May,  1705. 

EMERSON,  LT.  JOHN  m.  Judith .     Ch.— John,  25  June,  1690,  Daniel,  15  Jan. 

1693,  Benjamin.  2  March,  1696,  Samuel,  2  Nov.  1699,  Jonathan,  10  Aug.  1702. 
EWILL,  JOHN  -d.  31  July,  1686. 

EVANS,  PHILIP  m.  Deborah .  'Ch.— William,  13  Oct.  1687,  Elizabeth,  8  Nov. 

1689,  John,  30  April,  1692,  born  in  Ipswich. 

FANNING,  WILLIAM  m.  Elizabeth  Allen,  24  March,  1668.  Ch.- Joseph,  1  Jan. 
1669,  Benjamin,  2  April,  1671,  William,  10  Nov.  1673,  James,  24  July,  1676,  Elizabeth, 
6  March,  1681. 

FAY,  HENRY  weaver  d.  30  June,  1655. 

FOLLANSBEE,'  THOMAS  m.  Sara .  Ch.— Francis,  22  Oct.  1677,  Hannah,  10 

April,  1680. 

FOLL  ANSBEE,  THOMAS  jun.  m.  Abigail .  Ch.— Mary,  4  April,  1695,  Thomas, 

28  March,  1697,  Francis,  13  June,  1699,  William,  14  March,  1701. 

FOLLANSBEE,  SARA  d.  6  Nov.  1683. 

FIELD,  JOHN  m.  Sara .     Son  John  b.  19  Jan.  1695. 

FIFIELD,  WILLIAM  came  early  to  Newbury,  and  in  1639  removed  to  Hampton, 
where  he  'died  18  Dec.  1700,  aged  above  80.' 

FITTS,  alias  FITZ,  came  from  Ipswich,  to  Newbury.  He  m.  Sara  Ordway  8  Oct. 
1654.  He  died  2  Dec.  1672.  She  died  24  April,  1667. 

FORM  AN,  JOHN  had  children,  Abigail,  10  Nov.  1676,  John,  5  Oct.  1678. 

FLOOD,  PHILIP  came  from  Guernsey  to  New  Jersey,  thence  to  Newbury  about 

1680.  He  m.  Mary .  Ch.— Joseph,  12  May,  1684,  Hester,  15  May,  1686,  Mary, 

18  July,  1688,  Henry,  14  Aug.  1689,  John,  11  Nov.  1693,  Richard,  25  Feb.  1696,  Ra- 
chel, 18  March.  1698,  Philip,  24  April,  1700,  Benjamin  2  May,  1705. 

FRAZER,  COLLIN  m.  Anna  Stuart  10  Nov.  1685.  Ch.— Symon,  19  Aug.  1686,  John, 
1  April,  1688,  Hannah,  31  Aug.  1692,  John,  12  June,  1694,  Ebenezer,  27  July,  1696, 
Gershom,  8  Aug.  1697,  Nathan,  8  Jan.  1700,  Abigail,  21  April,  1701,  Lawson,  14  Sept. 
1704. 

FRYER,  MR.  NATHANIEL  of  Boston  in  1657.  then  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  m.  Mrs. 
Dorothy  Woodbridge  of  Newbury  Oct.  1679. 

FRY,  JOHN  wheelwright,  came  early  to  Newbury,  thence  to  Andover  in  1645,  where 
he  died  in  1698,  aged  92  years  and  7  months.  Ch. — John,  Samuel,  James,  Benjamin, 
and  Elizabeth. 

FREEZE,  JOHN  m.  Mary  Merrill,  2  June,  1697. 

FRANKLIN,  WILLIAM  blacksmith,  in  Ipswich,  1634,  Newbury,  1635,  in  Boston, 
1642  or  3,  in  Roxbury,  1644,  and  was  hung  for  murder  the  same  year.  He  m.  Alice, 
daughter  of  Robert  Andrews.  Ch. — William,  John,  Benjamin,  Eleazer  and  Elizabeth. 

GARLAND,  JACOB  son  of  John,  of  Hampton,  m.  Rebecca  Sears,  17  June,  1682. 
Ch. — Jacob,  26  Oct.  1682,  Rebecca,  3  Dec.  1683,  and  eleven  others  born  afterward  in 
Hampton. 

GAGE,  SARA  widow,  died "7  July,  1680. 

GALE,  DANIEL  of  Salem,  m.  Rebekah  Swett,  1700. 

GERRISH,  CAPT.  WILLIAM  came  from  Bristol,  England,  to  Newbury,  about  1640. 
He  m.  Mrs.  Joanna  Oliver,  17  April,  1645,  widow  of  Mr.  John  Oliver.  In  1678  he 
moved  to  Boston,  and  died  in  Salem,  9  Aug.  1687,  aged  70.  His  wife  Joanna  d.  14 
June.  1677.  Ch.— John,  15  May,  1646,  Abigail,  10  May,  1647,  William,  6  June,  1648. 
Joseph,  23  March,  1650,  Benjamin,  13  Jan.  1652,  Elizabeth,  10  Sept.  1654,  Moses,  9 
May,  1656,  Mary,  9  May,  1658,  Anna,  18  Oct.  1660,  Judith,  10  Sept.  1662. 


APPENDIX.  303 

GERRISH,  MR.  MOSES  son  of  capt.  William,  m.  Jane  Sewall,  24  Sept.  1677.     Ch.— 

Joanna,  3  Oct.  1678,  Joseph,  20  March,  1682,  Sara,  25  Dec.  1683,  Elizabeth,  27  Dec. 

1685.  Mary,  20  Sept.  1687,  John,  2  April,  1695,     He  died  4  Dec.  1694.  aged  38. 
GERRISH,  DR.  WILLIAM  son  of  capt.  William,  m.  Ann ,  in  1671.     He  was  a 

physician  in  Charlestown,  and  there  died,  10  May,  1683,  aged  35.     His  son  William 

was  born  in  Newbury,  21  Jan.  1674. 
GILE.  SAMUEL  an  early  settler  in  Newbury,  removed  to  Haverhill  in  1640.     He  m. 

Judith  Davis,  1  Sept.  1647.     Ch.— John,  Samuel,  Ephraim,  and  Sara.     He  died  in 

Haverhill.  21  Feb.  1684. 

OILMAN,  MR.  NICHOLAS  of  Exeter,  m.  Mrs.  Sarah  Clark,  9  June,  1697. 
GILMAN.  MAVERICK  m.  Sara  Mayo,  16  June.  1702. 
GODFREY,  PETER  m.  Mary  Browne,  13  May,'  1656.     Ch.— Andrew,  3  March,  1657, 

Mary,  21  Oct.  1659,  and  d.  3  Nov.  Mary,  23  Jan.  1661,  Margaret,  9  Oct.  1663,  Elizabeth, 

8  Feb,  1667,  Peter,  14  Nov.  1669.  Joanna,  16  Nov.  1672.  James,  9  March,  1677,  Sara,  7 

April,  16SO.     He  d.  5  Oct.  1697,  aged  66.     She  died  16  April,  1716,  in  her  Slst  year. 
GODFREY.  JAMES  son  of  Peter,  m.  Hannah  Kimball,  10  Feb.  1700. 
GOFFE,  JOHN  came  to  Boston  with    Gov.  Winthrop,  in  1630,  lived  in  Watertown, 

thence  to  Newbury.  where  he  died  9  Dec.  1641.     His  wife's  name  was  Amy,  children, 

Susan  and  Hannah. 
GOOD  ALE,  RICHARD  from  Yarmouth,  England,  came  to  Newbury  about  1638, 

In  1640  he  moved  to  Salisbury,  and  there  died,  Oct.  1666.     Ch. — Ann,  who  m.  Wil- 
liam Allen,  and  Richard,  who  moved  to  Boston. 
GOODALE?MRS.  ELIZABETH  from  Yarmouth,  died  in  Newbury,  8  April,  1647, 

Ch. — Susanna,  who  m.  Abraham  Toppan,  Joanna,  who  m.  Mr.  John  Oliver. 
GOOD  RIDGE,  WILLIAM  had  sons  Benjamin,  Joseph,  and  Jeremiah,  who  were  sons 

in  law  to  John  Hull. 
GOODRIDGE,  BENJAMIN  son  of  William,  m.  Mary  Jordan,  8  Sept.  1663.     Ch.— 

Joseph,  6  July,  1667,  Daniel,  3  Mar.  1670,  John,  1  Jan.  1674,  son  of  Deborah,  his 

second  wife,  who  d.  8  Nov.  1676.     On  the   16th  of  November,  1678,  he  m.  Sarah 

Croad.     Son  Samuel  b.  15  Aug.  1681. 
GOODRIDGE,  JOSEPH  son  of  William,  born  in  1640,  m.  Martha  Moores  28  Aug. 

1664.     Ch.— Hannah,  27  July,  1665,  John,  13  Sept.  1667,  d.  9  Mar.  1756,  ag.  89,  Ed- 
mund, 14  June,  1672,  Abigail,  17  Sept.  1675,  Martha,  2  Feb.  1681,  Margaret,  11   Oct. 

1683,  Joseph.  21  Oct.  1688. 
GOODRIDGE,  JEREMIAH  son  of  William,  m.  Mary  Adams  15  Nov.  1660.     Ch.— 

Mary.  21  Nov.  1663,  William,  2  Aug.  1665,  Philip,  23  Nov.  1669,  Elizabeth,  27  Feb. 

1679,  Hannah,  15  Nov.  1681,  John,  26  May,  1685. 
GOODRIDGE,  EDMUND  m.  Hannah  Dole,  16  Nov.  1702.     His  son  Edmund  b.  2 

Sept  1703. 
GOODRIDGE,  PHILIP  son  of  Jeremiah,  m.  Mehetabel  Woodman  16  April,  1700. 

Ch.— Benjamin.  3  Feb.  1701,  John.  2  Aug.  1702. 
GOODRIDGE,  DANIEL  m.  Mary  Ordway,  1698,    His  daughter  Mary  b.  19  Sept. 

1699. 
GLADING,  JOHN  m.  Elizabeth  Rogers  17  July,  1666.     Ch.— Susanna,  6  Oct.  1668, 

John,  11  Oct.  1670,  William,  25  July,  1673,  Elizabeth,  15  Sept.  1676,  Mary,  14  Jan, 

1679,  Hannah,  S  November.  1681. 

GOODWIN,  EDWARD  of  Salisbury  m.  Susanna  Wheeler  5  June,  1668. 
GOODWIN,  EDWARD  m.  Martha .     Ch.— Sara,   30  April,  1703,  Lazarus,  11 

July,  1705. 
GOODWIN,  RICHARD  m.  Hannah  Major  26  March,  1692.     Ch.— Hannah,  18  Jan, 

1693,  George,  21  July,  1695,  Richard,  8  May,  1698,  Susanna,  15  Jan.  1701. 
GRANT,  JOHN  m.  Sarah  .     Ch.— Sarah,  10  April,  1691,  William,  1  Nov.  1694,. 

Joanna,  2  April,  1697,  Abraham.  2  Jan.  1702. 
GRANTHAM.  ANDREW  d.  15  Dec.  1668. 
GREENLAND,  DR.  HENRY  was  born  in  1628.     He  resided  in  Newbury  from  1662' 

to  1675. 
GRANGER,  LAUNCELOT  m.  Joanna,  daughter  of   Robert  Adams,  4  Jan.  1654. 

Ch.— John.  15  Jan.  1655,  George,  28  Nov.  1658,  Elizabeth,  13  March,  1662,  Dorothy, 

17  Feb.  1665,  Samuel,  26  July.  1668,  Abraham,  17  April,  1673. 
GREENLEAF,  MR.  EDMUND  dyer,  came  early  to  Newbury,  with  his  wife  Sara. 

About  1650  he  removed  to  Boston,  and  there  died,  1671.     Ch.— Judith,  b.  1628,  who 

m.  Henry  Somerby,  and  then  Tristram  Coffin,  jun.  Stephen,  1630,  Elizabeth,  who  m. 

Giles  Badger,  and  then  Richard  Brown,  a  son  Enoch,  and  a  daughter,  who  m. 
GREENLEAF,  DANIEL  died  12  Oct.  1654. 
GREENLEAF,  STEPHEN  son  of  capt.  Edmund,  m.  Elizabeth  Coffin,  daughter  of 

Tristram  Coffin,  sen.  13  Nov.  1651.     Ch.— Stephen,  15  Aug.  1652,  Sarah,  16   Oct. 

1655,  Elizabeth,  9  April,  1660,  John,  21  June,  1662,  Samuel,  30  Oct.  1665,  Tristram,. 


304  APPENDIX. 

11  Feb.  1668,  Edmund,  10  May,  1670,  Judith,  13  Oct.  1673,  and  d.  19  Nov.  1678,  Mary, 

6  Dec.  1676.     Mrs.  Elizabeth  Greenleaf  died  19  Nov.  1678.     Capt.  Greenleaf  m.  Mrs. 

Esther  Swett,  31  March,  1679,  who  d.  16  Jan.  1718,  aged  89.    He  d.  1  Dec.  1690,  aged  60. 
GREENLEAF,    STEPHEN  son  of  Stephen,  m.  Elizabeth    Gerrish   23   Oct.  1676. 

Ch.— Elizabeth,  12  Jan!  1678,  Daniel,  10  Feb.  1680,  Stephen,  31  Aug.  and  d.  15  Oct. 

1688,  William,  1  April,  and  d.  15  April,  1684,  Joseph,  12  April,  1686,  Sara.  19  July, 

1688,  Stephen,  21  Oct.  1690,  John,  29  Aug.  1693,  Benjamin,  14  Dec.  1695,  JVIoses,  24 

Feb.  1698. 
GREENLEAF,  JOHN  son  of  Stephen,  m.  Elizabeth   Hills,  12  Oct.  1685.     Ch.— 

Elizabeth,  30  July,  1686,  Jane,  10  Nov.  1687,  Judith,  15  July,  1689,  and  d.  30   Sept. 

1690,  Daniel,  24  Dec.  1690,  Parker,  20  Feb.  1695,  Martha,  23  April,  1699,  Benjamin, 

21  Nov.  1701.     He  died  24  June,  1734,  ag.  72. 
GREENLEAF,    SAMUEL  son  of  Stephen,  m.  Sara  Kent  1   March,  1686.     Ch.— 

Daniel,  28  Feb.  1687,  John,  13  Oct.  1688,  Stephen,  27  Aug.  1690,  Sarah.  3  Nov.  1692. 

He  d.  6  Aug.  1694,  aged  29. 
GREENLEAF,    TRISTRAM  son   of  Stephen,  m.   Margaret   Piper  12  Nov.  1689. 

Ch.— Nathaniel,  25  Jan.  1692,  and  d.  19  Dec.  1775,  ag.  84,  Elizabeth,  16  March,  1693, 

Stephen,  16  April,  1694,  Edmund,  24  June,  1695,  Sarah,  27  March,  1697,  Judith,  28 

Sept.  1698,  Mary,  28  Sept.  1699. 
GREENLEAF,  EDMUND  son  of  Stephen,  m.  Abigail  Somerby  2  July  1691.     Ch.— 

Judith,  15  Dec.  1692,  Rebecca,  b.  and  d.  29  Sept.  1693,  Abigail,  6  March,  1695,  Maryr 

10  Sept.  1697,  Rebecca,  22  Feb.  1700,  Edmund,  10  Feb.  1703. 

GREELEY,  JOHN  m.  Elizabeth .     His  son  Parker  b.  20  Feb.  1695. 

HALE,  THOMAS  glover,  with  his  wife  Tamosin,  alias  Thomasine.  came  to  New- 

bury  in  1635.     He  d.  21  Dec.  1682,  aged  78.     She  d.  30  Jan.  1683.     Ch.— Thomas,  b. 

1633,  John,  1636,  and  Samuel. 
HALE,  THOMAS  jun.  son  of  Thomas  sen.  m.  Mary  Hutchinson  of  Danvers,  26 

May,  1657.     He  died  22  Oct.  1688.     Ch.— Thomas,  11  Feb.  1658,  Mary,  15  July,  1660, 

Abigail,  8  April,  1662,  Hannah,  29  Nov.  1663,  Lydia,  17  April,  1666,  Elizabeth,  16 

Oct.  1668,  Joseph,  20  Feb.  1671,  Samuel,  6  June,  1674. 
HALE,  JOHN  son  of  Thomas,  sen.  m.  Rebecca  Lowle  5  Dec.  1660,  who  d.  1  June, 

1662.     He  m.  Sarah  Somerby  8  Dec.  1663.  who  d.  June,  1672.     His  third  wife  was 

Sarah  Symonds,  who  d.  19  Jan.  1699.    -Ch.— John,  2  Sept.  1661,  Samuel,  15  Oct. 

1664,  and  d.  1672,  Henry,  20  Oct.  1667,  Thomas,  4  Nov.  1668,  Judith,  5  July,  1670, 

Joseph,  24  Nov.  1674,  Benjamin,  11  Aug.  1676,  and  d.  Aug.  1677,  Moses,  10  July,  1678. 
HALE,  SAMUEL  son  of  Thomas,  sen.  m.  Sarah  Ilsley,  21  Jifly,  1673. 
HALE,  JOHN  jun.  son  of  John,  sen.  m.  Sarah  Jaques  10   Oct.  1683.     Ch.— Rebecca, 

18  Feb.  1684,  John,  24  June,  1686,  Richard,  21  April,  and  d.  Sept.  1688,   Henry,  28 

Aug.  16S9,  and  d.  1692,  Richard,  9  Nov.  1690,  Stephen,  12  April,  1693,  Anne  and 

Mary,  3  Jan.  and  d.  6  Jan.  1701,  Anne,  24  Oct.  1703. 
HALE,  CAPT.  THOMAS  son  of  Thomas,  jun.  m.  Sarab  Northend  16  May,  1682. 

Ch.— Thomas,  9  March,  1683,  Edna,  21  Nov.  1684,  Mary,  28  April,  1687,  Ezekiel,  13 

May,  1689,  Nathan,  2  June,  1691,  Sarab,  9  March,  1693,  Ebenezer,  21   April,  1695, 

Daniel,  22  Feb.  1697,  Hannah,  7  June,  1699,  Joshua,  17  March.  1701. 
HALE,  HENRY  son  of  John,  m.  Sarah  Kelly  11  Sept.  1695.     Ch.— Thomas.  15  Nov. 

1696,  Sarah,  21  Oct.  1698,  Enoch,  11  Oct.  1702,  Enoch  and  Edmund,  7  Oct.  1703. 

Edmund  m.  Martha  Sawyer  16  May,  1728,  and  d.  May,  1788,  aged  85. 
HALE,  MR.  JOHN  alias  REV.  JOHN  of  Beverly,  m.  Mrs.  Sarah  Noyes  31  March, 

1684,  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth    Clark  of  Newbury,  8  Aug.  1698.     She  was  widow  of 

Nathaniel  Clark,  and  daughter  of  Henry  Somerby. 
HALE,  JOSEPH  son  of  John,  m.  Mary ,  who  d.  16  Apr.  1753,  aged  75.     Ch.— 

Judith,  22  Sept.  1700,  Mary,  25  March,  1703.     He  d.  24  Jan.  1755,  aged  80. 
HALE,  MR.  MOSES  m.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Dummer  1704. 
HALL,  JOSEPH  m.  Mary  Moody  1700.    Judith  was  born  22  Sept.  1700. 
HAYNES,  JONATHAN  m.  Mary  Moulton  Jan.  1674.     Ch.— Mary,  14  Nov.  1675, 

Mary,  2  Oct.  1677,  Thomas,  14  May,  1680,  Jonathan,  3   Sept.  1684.     He  afterward 

removed  to  Haverhill,  and  was  there  killed  by  the  Indians  22  Feb.  1698. 
HART,  MR.  LAWRENCE  m.  Dorothy  Jones  12  Feb.  1679.     Ch.— Lucy,  31   Dec. 

1679.  Mary,  17  July,  and  d.  2  Aug.  1681,  Anne,  20  Sept.  1682,  Charles,  12  May,  1684, 

Anne,  12  Oct.  1685,  Lawrence,  16  April,  1687,  John,  18  April,  1689. 
HARDY,  or  HARDIE,  GEORGE  m.  Mary .     Ch.— Mary  b.  2  Feb.  1693.     He 

d.  6  Dec.  1694, 

HAZELTINE,  SAMUEL  of  Bradford  m.  Emma  Kent,  Jan.  1,  1701. 
HEATH,  BARTHOLOMEW  was  bom  in  1600.     His  son  John  was  born  15  Aug. 

1643. 
HEARD,  LUKE  Newbury,  thence  in  1640  to*  Salisbury,  thence  to  Ipswich.     He  m. 

Sarah  Wyatt  of  Assington  in  England.   He  d.  in  1647  leaving  sons  Edward  and  John. 


APPENDIX.  305 

HENING,  RICHARD  had  a  son  Shubael  b.  7  Dec.  1671. 

HEWES,  SOLOMON  m.  Martha  Calef  of  Boston  1700. 

HILLS,  MR.  JOSEPH  born  in  1602,  New  England,  1638,  in  Charlestown,  1639 
thence  to  Maiden  from  1047  to  1656,  thence  to  Newbury,and  m.  Anne,  widow  of  Henry 
Lunt,  8  March.  1605.  He  died  5  Feb.  1688,  aged  86.  His  first  wife  was  Hannah 

.  His  second,  Helen  Atkinson,  he  m.  Jan.  1656.  Ch. — Samuel,  Wayt,  Gershom, 

Hannah  and  three  other  daughters,  who.  m.  a  Blanchard,  a  Green,  and  a  Vinton. 

HILLS,  MR.  SAMUEL  son  of  Joseph,  m.  Abigail  Wheeler  20  May,  1679.  Ch.— 
Samuel.  16  Feb.  1680.  Joseph.  21  July,  1681,  Nathaniel,  9  Feb.  1683,  Benjamin,  16 
Oct.  1684.  Abigail,  2  Sept.  16SO,  and  d.  11  Aug.  1688,  Henry.  23  April,  1688,  William, 
8  Oct.  1689,  Josiah.  27  July.  1691,  John,  20  Sept.  1693,  Abigail,  27  June,  1695,  James 
and  Hannah,  25  Feb.  1697,  Daniel,  8  Dec.  1700. 

HILTON,  WILLIAM  came  to  Plymouth,  from 'London,  in  1621.  thence  to  Dover  in 
1033,  with  his  brother  Edward,  thence  in  1641  to  Newbury.  Ch.— Sarah.  June,  1641 , 
Charles.  July,  1643,  Ann,  12  Feb.  1649,  Elizabeth,  6  Nov.  1650,  William,  28  June, 
1053.  A  William  Hilton,  probably  the  same  person,  d.  in  Charlestown  7  Sept.  1675, 
leaving  two  other  sons,  Nowell,  4  May.  1663,  and  Edward,  3  March,  1665. 

HO  BBS.  MAURICE  Newbury,  thence  between  1640  and  45  to  Hampton.  He  m 
Sarah  Eastow  and  d.  5  August,  1700, '  aged  above  80.'  He  left  ten  children. 

HOBBS,  RICHARD  was  drowned  in  Newbury  18  Aug.  1665. 

HOTON  or  HORTON,  JOSEPH  m.  Sara  Haynes  13  Nov.  1651. 

HOLT,  NICHOLAS  tanner,  came  from  Romsey,  England,  in  the  James,  in  June,  1635, 
to  Newbury,  thence  to  Andover,  in  1645,  where  he  died,  1685,  aged  83.  Ch. — Eliza- 
beth, 30  March,  1636,  Mary,  6  Oct.  1638,  Samuel,  6  Oct.  1641.  Henry,  Nicholas, 
James,  and  John,  were  born  in  Andover. 

HOVEY,  LUKE  m.  Susanna  Pilsbury  25  Oct.  1698. 

HO  AG.  JOHN  weaver,  was  born  in  1643,  came  to  Newbury  and  m.  Ebenezer,  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  Emery,  21  April,  1669.  He  died  in  1728,  aged  85.  Ch.— John,  20  Feb. 
1670,  Jonathan,  28  Oct.  1671,  Joseph,  10  Jan.  1677,  Hannah,  3  Jan.  1683,  Judith,  20 
April.  1687. 

HOOKE,  MR.  HUMPHREY  of  Salisbury,  m.  Mrs.  Judith  March,  10  July,  1700.  Je- 
mima born  July.  1703. 

HOAG,  BENJAMIN  m.  Sara  Norris,  of  Exeter,  23  June,  1702. 

HOAG,  JONATHAN  m.  Martha  Goodwin  15  Sept.  1703. 

HOLMES,  ROBERT  m.  Esther  Morse  26  Feb.  1669.  He  died  18  Sept.  1673.  Ch.— 
Robert,  3  Nov.  1670,  Esther,  22  Feb.  1673. 

HOWLET,  REBECCA  widow,  d.  1  Nov.  1680. 

HE XD RICK.  JOHN  m.  Abigail .  Ch.— John,  23  Oct.  1678,  Daniel,  6  Feb.  1684 

William.  15  March,  1688. 

HU1T,  EPHRAIM  of  Bridgewater,  m.  Catharine  Acres,  1698.  Ch. — Hannah,  23 
Sept.  1699. 

HUDSON,  ELEAZER  died  in  Newbury  April,  1736,  'a  noted  shopkeeper.' 

HULL,  JOHN  d.  1  Feb.  1670.     His  widow  Margaret  d.  3  Feb.  1683. 

HUSE,  ABEL  came  from  London  to  Newbury  In  1635.  His  wife  Eleanor  d.  27  March, 
1663.  He  m.  Mary  Sears  25  May,  1663.  He  d.  29  March,  1690,  aged  88.  Ch.— 
Ruth,  25  Feb.  1664,  Abel,  19  Feb.  1665,  Thomas,  9  Aug.  1666,  William,  Oct.  1667 
Sarah.  8  Dec.  1670,  John,  20  June,  1670,  Amy,  9  Sept.  1673,  and  d.  18  May,  1675 
Ebenezer,  a  daughter,  10  Aug.  1675. 

HUSE,  ABEL  son  of  Abel,  m.  Judith .  Ch.— Abel,  18  Nov.  1696,  Stephen,  16 

Nov.  1702,  Samuel,  30  March,  1705. 

HUSE,  THOMAS  son  of  Abel,  m.  Hannah .  Ch.— Mary,  23  March,  169J,  Israel, 

23  Oct.  1693,  Ebenezer,  16  Jan.  1696,  James,  29  June,  1698,  Hannah,  5  Nov.  1700, 
Ruth,  14  Feb.  1703. 

HUSE,  WILLIAM  son  of  Abel,  m.  Anne  Russell,  1699.  Ch.— Anne,  22  May,  1700, 
William,  30  Oct.  1701. 

HUSSEY,  MR.  CHRISTOPHER  came  from  Dorking,  Surrey,  England,  to  Lynn, 
1630,  thence  to  Newbury,  1636.  He  m.  Theodata  Bachiler,  who  d.  Oct.  1649.  In 
1639,  he  moved  to  Hampton,  where  he  d.  6  March,  1686,  aged  nearly  90.  Ch. — Ste- 
phen, 1630,  who  m.  Martha  Bunker,  and  d.  in  1718,  aged  88.  John,  Joseph,  Mary, 
Huldah,  and  Theodata. 

HUTCHIXS.  JOHN  and  wife,  Frances,  came  to  Newbury.  He  d.  in  Haverhill,  in 
1674.  aged  70.  Ch.— William,  Joseph,  15  Nov.  1640,  Benjamin,  15  May,  1641,  Love, 
16  July,  1647,  Elizabeth,  and  Samuel. 

HOLMAN.  SOLOMON  and  wife.  Mary,  came  to  Newbury  about  1693  or  4.  Ch.— Ma- 
ry, 24  Feb,  1695,  Solomon,  25  Nov.  1697,  Edward,  26  Jan.  1700,  Elizabeth,  24  Oct.  1701. 

HORNE,  ELIZABETH  d.  6  May,  1672. 

ILSLEY,  WILLIAM  yeoman,  came  from  Wiltshire,  England,  to  Newbury,  in  1635 

39 


306  APPENDIX. 

His  wife  was  Barbara.  He  d.  22  July,  1681,  aged  73.  Ch.— John,  11  Sept.  1641, 
William,  23  Feb.  1648,  Joseph,  30  Oct.  1649,  Isaac,  23  June,  1652,  Sara,  8  Aug.  1655, 
Mary,  and  Elisha. 

ILSLEY,  JOSEPH  son  of  William,  m.  Sara  Little  1  March,  1682,  only  daughter  of 
George  Little.  Ch.— Sarah,  20  Jan.  1683.  Joseph,  14  May,  16S4,  Lydia,  15  June,  1687, 
Sarah,  16  July,  1689. 

ILSLEY,  ISAAC  son  of  William,  m.  Abigail .  Ch.— Sarah,  3  Oct.  1683,  Wil- 
liam, 25  April,  1685,  Isaac,  3  July,  1689,  Lydia,  18  June,  1691,  Hannah,  26  Dec.  1693, 
Elizabeth,  25  Oct.  1695,  Abigail,  22  Aug.  1698,  Judith,  2  Feb.  1703. 

ILSLEY,  ELISHA  son  of  William,  m.  Hannah  Poor  14  March,  1668.  Ch.— Elisha, 
21  Nov.  1668,  William,  10  Nov.  1672,  Sarah,  22  Dec.  1675,  and  8  Jan.  1691,  William 
or  Benjamin,  19  March,  1680,  Hannah,  8  Dec.  1681,  Barbara,  26  March,  1685,  Mary, 
who  d.  9  Nov.  1690.  He  d.  16  Jan.  1691. 

ILSLEY,  JOSEPH  jr.  m.  Hannah  Pike,  1701. 

IVIE,  JOHN  son  of  John,  b.  Nov.  1643. 

JACOB,  MR.  SAMUEL  d.  16  June,  1672. 

JACKMAN,  JAMES  nephew  of  Henry  Short,  came,  it  is  said,  from  Exeter,  England. 
His  wife  was  Joanna.  He  d.  30  Dec.  1694,  aged  83.  Ch.— Sara,  18  Jan.  1648,  Hester, 
12  Sept.  1651,  James,  12  June,  1655,  Joanna,  14  June.  1657,  Richard,  15  Feb.  1660. 

JACKMAN,  JAMES  son  of  James,  m.  Rachel  Noyes.  Ch.— Joanna,  20  April,  16S3, 
Joanna,  25  May,  1687,  John,  3  Feb.  1691,  and  d.  3  Dec.  1769,  Mary,  23  Jan.  1695,  Sara, 
19  May,  1697,  Esther,  5  Nov.  1699. 

JACKMAN,  RICHARD  son  of  James,  m.  Elizabeth  Plumer  26  June,  1682.  Ch.— 
Richard,  17  Aug.  1684,  James,  5  Sept.  1686,  Elizabeth,  12  May,  1689,  Joseph,  17  April, 
1698. 

JACKMAN.  RICHARD  jun.  m.  Elizabeth  Major  1703. 

JAFFREY,'  GEORGE  was  born  about  1637,  m.  Elizabeth  Walker  7  Dec.  1665.  Sarah 
b.  26  Feb.  1667.  He  moved  to  Great  Island,  [New  Castle,]  N.  H. 

JAMES,  EDMUND  d.  in  1672  or  1673.  Ch.— Edmund,  Feb.  1670,  Benjamin,  15  April, 
1673. 

JAQUES,  HENRY  carpenter,  came  to  Newbury  in  1640,  m.  Anna  Knight  8  Oct. 

1648.  He  d.  24  Feb.  1687,  aged  69.     She  d.  22   Feb.  1705.     Ch.— Henry,  30  July, 

1649,  Mary,  12  Nov.  1651,  and  d.  23  Oct.  1653,  Mary,  23   Oct.  1653,  Richard,  1658, 
Stephen,  9  Sept.  1661,  Sara,  20  March,  1664,  Daniel,  20  Feb.  1667,  Elizabeth,  28  Oct. 
1669,  Ruth,  14  April,  1672,  Abigail,  11  March,  1674,  Hannah. 

JAQUES,  HENRY  son  of  Henry,  m. and  d.  before  1687,  leaving  one  son  Henry. 

JAQUES,  RICHARD  son  of  Henry,  m.  Ruth  Plumer  18  Jan.  1682,  and  was  drowned 

28  May,  1683.     Ch.— Richard,  5  Dec.  1682,  Richard,  6  Jan.  1684. 
JAQUES,  SERJ.  STEPHEN  son  of  Henry,  m.  Deborah  Plumer  13  May,  1684.     Ch. 

—Stephen,  28  July,  1686,  Samuel,  19  March,  1692,  Mary,  26  Sept.  1694,  Sarah,  23 

Sept.  1697,  Richard,  1  April,  1700,  Benjamin,  23  Sept.  1702,  Ann,  25  Feb.  1705. 
JAQUES,  DANIEL  son  of  Henry,  m.  Mary  Williams  20  March,  1693.     His  second 

wife  was  Susanna .     Ch. — Daniel,  27  Dec.  1693,  Richard,  2  Feb.  1696. 

JEPSON,  JOHN  of  Boston,  m.  Apphia  Rolfe  1  April,  1696. 

JEWEL,  THOMAS  m.  Ruth  Badger  17  Feb.  1702. 

JONES,  THOMAS  Newbury,  1637,  Hampton,  1639.   A  Thomas  Jones  was  in  Kittery, 

1652.     A  Thomas  Jones  d.  in  Gloucester,  1671. 
JORDAN,  STEPHEN  d.  8  Feb.  1670.     His  two  daughters  m.  Robert  Cross  and  John 

Andrews. 

JORDAN,  SUSANNA  widow,  d.  25  Jan.  1673. 
JOHNSON,  MR.  WILLIAM  shipwright,  came  from  Charlestown  to  Newbury  after 

1690.     He  m.  Mrs.  Martha  Pierce  9  Nov.  1702.     Ch.— Elizabeth,  17  Aug.  1703, 

Martha.  17  Nov.  1704. 

KENRICK,  JOHN  m.  Lydia  Cheney  12  Nov.  1657. 
KELLY,  JOHN  came  from  Newbury,  England,  to  Newbury,  Mass,  in  1635,  and  died 

28  Dec.  1644.     Ch.— Sarah,  12  Feb.  1641,  John,  2  July,  1642. 
KELLY,  JOHN  son  of  John.  m.  Sarah,  daughter  of  deac.  Richard  Knight  25  May, 

1663.     Ch.— Richard,  28  Feb.  1666,  John,  17  June,  1668,  Sarah,  1   Sept.  1670,  Abiel, 

12  Dec.  1672,  Rebecca,  15  May,  1675,  Mary,  24  May,  1678,  Jonathan,  20  March,  1681, 

Joseph,  1  Dec.  1683,  Hannah,  17  Nov.  1686.     He  d.  21  March,  1718,  aged  75. 
KELLY,  RICHARD  son  of  John,  m.  Sarah,  daughter  of  Lt.  James  Smith  1692.  His 

second  wife  was  Hannah  Greenough,  schoolmistress.   He  died  18  June,  1734,  aged  68. 
KELLY,  ABIEL  son  of  John,  m.  Rebecca  Davis  5  Jan.  1697.    Ch.— Richard,  24  Oct. 

1697,  Sara,  14  Aug.  1699,  Rebecca,  26  Sept.  1705,  and  five  others.     He  removed  to 

Methuen. 
KELLY,  JONATHAN  son  of  John,  m.  Hester  Morss  July  6,  1702.     Ch.— Ruth,  15 

April,  1704,  Jonathan,  Samuel,  and  Benjamin. 


APPENDIX.  307 

KELLY,  JOSEPH  son  of  John,  m.  Jane  Heath,  of  Haverhill,  where  he  settled. 

KELLY,  JOHN  son  of  John  2d,  m.  Sara .  His  second  wife  Elizabeth  Emery  he 

m.  Nov.  1696.  Ch.— Abigail.  5  March,  1691,  John,  9  Oct.  1697,  (who  d.  in  Atkinson, 
X.  H.  27  April,  1783,  aged  85,)  and  five  daughters,  Daniel,  Richard,  8  March,  1704. 

KEYES,  SOLOMON  m".  Frances  Grant  2  Oct.  1653.  Ch.— Hannah,  12  Sept.  1654, 
Sarah,  24  Aug.  1656,  Mary,  26  Sept.  1658,  Jane,  25  Oct.  1660,  Judith,  16  Sept.  1662. 

KEYES.  ROBERT  perhaps  of  Watertown  1633.  He  d.  16  July,  1647.  Daughter 
Mary  b.  16  June.  1645. 

KIMBALL,  JOHN  m.  Mary  Hobbs  24  Feb.  1665.  He  d.  Oct.  1668.  Ch.— Mary,  19 
July.  1667.  John,  15  Oct.  1668. 

KINGSBURY,  JOHN  m.  Hannah .     Son  John  b.  8  April,  1689. 

KNIGHT,  DEA.  RICHARD,  merchant  tailor,  came  from  Romsey,  England,  to  New- 
bury  in  1635,  in  the  James.  He  m.  Agnes  Coffley,  who  d.  22  March,  1679.  He  d«  4 
Aug.  16S3,  aged  81.  Ch.— Rebecca,  7  March,  1643,  Sara,  23  March,  1648,  Anne,  and 
Elizabeth. 

KNIGHT,  JOHN  sen.  mercer  or  merchant  tailor,  and  brother  of  dea.  Richard  Knight, 

and  came  with  him  in  June.  1635.  He  m.  Elizabeth who  d.  20  March,  1645. 

He  d.  May  1670.  His  second  wife  was  Ann  Ingersoll,  widow  of  Richard  Ingersoll  of 
Salem. 

KNIGHT,  JOHN  jun.  b.  in  1622,  probably  son  of  John  sen.  m.  Bathsua,  dau.  of  Rich- 
ard Ingersoll,  1647.  Ch.^Tohn,  b.  16  Aug.  1648,  Joseph,  21  June.  1652,  Elizabeth,  IS 
Oct.  1655.  Mary,  8  Sept.  1657,  Sarah.  13  April,  1660,  Hannah  b.  22  March,  1662,  and  d. 
30  July,  1664,  Hannah,  30  Aug.  1664,  Richard,  26  July,  1666.  Benjamin,  21  Aug.  1668, 
Isaac,  31  Aug.  1672,  and  d.  29  Jul*,  1690,  John.  jr.  d.  25  Feb.  1678,  ag.  56.  His  widow 
Bathsua  d.  25  Oct.  1705. 

KNIGHT.  JOHN  son  of  John  jr.  m.  Rebecca  Noyes  1  Jan.  1672.  Ch.— James,  3 
Sept.  1672.  Rebecca,  27  April,  1674.  John.  3  April,  1676,  Sarah,  25  Feb.  1679,  Eliza- 
beth. 13  April,  1681,  Joseph,  9  Oct.  1683,  Nathaniel,  22  Dec.  1688. 

KNIGHT,  BENJAMIN  son'df.  John,  jr.  m.  Abigail  Jaques.  Ch.— Benjamin,  8  Feb. 
1693.  Isaac,  15  Jan.  1695,  Abigail,  15' April,  1697.  Daniel.  4  Dec.  1699,  Daniel,  11  Jan. 
1702.  George.  31  Jan.  1704. 

KNIGHT,  CAPT.  RICHARD  son  of  John,  m.  Elizabeth  Jaques.  Ch.— Henry,  6 
July,  1697,  Elizabeth,  11  March,  1702. 

KNIGHT.  JOSEPH  son  of  John  m.  Deborah  Coffin.  31  Oct.  1677.  Ch.— Judith,  23 
Oct.  1678,  John,  20  Jan.  1680.  and  d.  11  March.  1696,  Joseph.  16  Feb.  1682,  and  d.  2 
Dec.  1683,  Deborah,  26  April,  1684,  Sarah,  3  Nov.  1686,  Elizabeth,  18  April,  1690, 
Joseph,  16  Feb.  1692.  Mary,  3  Sept.  1693,  Tristram,  9  June,  1695.  John,  10  Dec.  1696, 
Stephen,  9  Oct.  1699. 

KNOWLTON,  EBENEZER  m.  Sarah  Lowle,  14  Feb.  1699. 

KENT,  RICHARD  sen.  maltster,  came  to  Ipswich  in  1635,  thence  to  Newbury  the 
same  year.  He  d.  14  June.  1654.  Ch. — Rebecca,  (who  m.  Samuel  Scullard,  then 
John  Bishop,)  John,  b.  20  July,  1645,  Sarah,  whom  he  left  in  England,  and  other 
daughters. 

KENT,  STEPHEN  brother  to  Richard  Kent,  sen.  Newbury,  1635,  thence  to  Haverhill 
thence  to  Woodbridge,  N.  J.  His  second  wife  Ann  d.  in  1660.  He  then  m.  Eleanor 
widow  of  William  Scadlock,  9  May,  1662.  Ch.— Elizabeth,  1  March,  1642,  Hannah, 
20  March,  1644.  Steven,  6  March.  1648,  Rebecca,  3  Aug.  1650,  and  Mary. 

KENT,  RICHARD  jr.  Newbury,  1636,  m.  Jane ,  who  d.  26  June,  1674.  He  m.  his 

second  wife.  Mrs.  Joanna  Davison,  6  Jan.  1675.  He  d.  25  Nov.  1689. 

KENT,  JAMES  brother  to  Richard,  jr.  He  d.  12  Dec.  1681.  John  Kent  was  'his  only 
son  and  heir,'  who  was  born  in  1641,  and  d.  30  Jan.  1718,  ag.  77. 

KENT,  JOHN  son  of  James,  m.  Mary  Hobbs  24  Feb.  1665.  Ch.— John,  8  April,  1665, 
and  d.  24  June.  Sarah,  1  Aug.  1666,  "Sarah,  30  Aug.  1667,  John  23  Nov.  1668,  John,  16 
July.  1675.  and  d.  24  March,  1703,  James,  3  Sept.  1679,  Mary  d.  17  March,  1703. 

KENT,  JOHN  jr.  son  of ,  m.  Sarah  Woodman  13  March,  1666.  Mary,  10  Sept. 

166a  Richard,  25  June.  1670.  Richard.  17  Jan.  1673,  Mary,  24  Oct.  1674,  Emma,  20 
April,  1677.  Hannah,  10  Sept.  1679.  Rebecca,  20  Feb.  1684,  James,  5  March,  1686. 

KENT,  JOHN  jr.  son  of \  m.  Rebekah  Somerby.  Ch.— Rebekah  4  May, 

1696,  John,  4  Sept.  1698,  Emma,  28  Feb.  1701,  Sarah,  7  March,  1704,  Mary,  30  March, 
1707,  Richard,  3  June,  1710. 

KENT,  JOHN  m.  Sarah  Little  14  Jan.  1703. 

KENT,  EMMA  widow,  d.  10  Jan.  1677. 

LANE,  CAPT.  JOHN  m.  Mrs.  Joanna .  Ch.— Abigail,  15  Aug.  1693,  Living,  his 

son,  b.  13  Nov.  1704. 

LAVENUKE,  STEPHEN  a  Frenchman,  m.  Mary  Diual  25  Sept.  1672.  Ch.— Isabel- 
la, 22  Dec.  1673,  Judith,  1677,  and  d.  22  April,  1758,  ag.  81,  Stephen,  1678,  and  d.  Jan. 
1,  1764,  aged  85. 


308  APPENDIX. 

LEWIS,  ROBERT  came  from  Bristol,  England,  to  Salem,  thence  to  Newbury,and  d. 
4  March,  1643. 

LITTLE,  GEORGE  tailor,  came  from  Unicorn  street,  London,  to  Newbury,  in  1640. 
He  m.  Alice  Poor.  Ch. — Sarah,  8  May,  and  d.  19  Nov.  1652,  Joseph,  22  Sept  1653, 
John,  28  July,  1655,  and  d.  20  July,  1672.  Moses,  11  March,  1657,  Sarah,  24  Nov. 
1661.  His  wife  Alice,  d.  1  Dec.  1680.  His  second  wife,  Eleanor  Barnard,  of  Ames- 
bury,  he  m.  19  July,  16S1.  He  was  living  15  March,  1693,  and  d.  before  Nov.  27, 
1694,  as  Amesbury  records  say  '  widow  Eleanor  Little  d.  27  Nov.  1694.' 

LITTLE,  MOSES  son  of  George,  m.  Lyxlia, daughter  of  Tristram  Coffin.  Ch.— John, 
8  Jan.  1680,  Tristram,  9  Dec.  1681,  Sarah,  28  April,  1684,  Mary,  13  Jan.  1687,  Eliza- 
beth, 25  May,  1688,  Moses,  26  Feb.  1691,  and  d.  19  Oct.  1780,  aged  near  90,  Moses,  sen. 
d.  8  March,  1691,  aged  34. 

LITTLE,  JOSEPH  son  of  George,  m.  Mary  Coffin,  sister  of  Lydia,  31  Oct.  1677.  Ch. 
—Judith,  19  July,  1678,  Joseph,  23  Feb.  1680,  and  d.  14  Aug.  1693,  George,  12  Jan. 
1682.  Sarah,  23  Oct.  1684,  Enoch,  16  Dec.  1685,  Tristram,  7  April,  1688,  Moses,  5 
May,  1690,  Daniel,  13  Jan.  1692,  Joseph,  27  Dec.  1693. 

LITTLEHALE,  RICHARD  m.  Mary  Lancton  15  Nov.  1647.  He  died  in  Haverhill  18 
Feb.  1664.  He  had  twelve  children,  John,  b.  27  Nov.  1650. 

LONG,  DEA.  ROBERT  lived  in  Charlestown  from  1637  to  1642.  He  m.  Alice  Ste- 
vens in  1647,  who  d.  17  Jan.  1691.  He  d.  27  Dec.  1690, aged  69.  Ch.— Mary,  24  Feb. 
1648,  Abiel,  19  Feb..  1649,  Susanna,  4  Nov.  1656,  Shubael,  14  April,  1661,  Martha, 
John,  and  Rebecca. 

LONG,  ABIEL  son  of  Robert,  m.  Hannah  Hills  27  Oct.  1682.  He  d.  13  April,  1743, 
aged  95.  Ch.— Abiel,  24  July  and  d.  10  Nov.  1688,  Hannah,  6  Nov.  1, 1684,  Benjamin, 
1  Sept.  1691. 

LONG,  SHUBAEL  son  of  Robert,  m.  Hannah  Merrill  26  Aug.  1695.  Ch.— Robert, 
20  May,  1696,  Abigail,  3  Jan.  1697,  and  d.  29  Jan.  Abigail,  31  Jan.  1699,  John,  2  Nov. 
1701. 

LONGFELLOW,  WILLIAM  born  in  1651,  in  Hampshire,  England,  came  to  Newbu- 
ry, m.  Anne  Sewall  10  Nov.  1676.  He  was  drowned  at  Anticosti,  1690.  Ch. — Wil- 
liam, 25  Nov.  1679,  Stephen,  10  Jan.  1681,  and  d.  13  Nov.  1683,  Anne,  3  Oct.  1683, 
Elizabeth,  3  July,  16S8,  Nathan,  5  Feb.  1690. 

LT.  STEPHEN,  b.  1685,  and  d.  17  Nov.  1764,  ag.  79. 

LOWLE,  MR.  PERCIVAL  d.  8  Jarr.  1665.     His  wife,  Rebecca,  died  1645,  Dec.  28. 

LOWLE,  MR.  RICHARD  came  from  Bristol,  England,  in  1639,  to  Newbury.  His 

second  wife  was  Margaret .  His  first  wife  died  in  1642.  He  died  5  Aug.  1682, 

aged  80.  Ch.— -Percival,  1639,  Rebecca,  27  Jan.  1642,  Samuel,  1644,  Thomas,  28 
Sept.  1649. 

LOWLE,  MR.  JOHN  brother  to  Richard,  and  came  with  him  to  Newbury.  Ch.— 
Joseph,  28  Nov.  1639,  John,  Peter,  Mary,  and  James.  His  second  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Goodale,  who  d.  April  1651.  He  d.  29  June,  1647.  His  other  children  were  Benja- 
min, 12  Sept.  1642.  Thomas,  4  June,  1644,  Elizabeth,  16  Feb.  1646. 

LOWLE,  BENJAMIN  son  of  John,  m.  Ruth  Woodman  17  Oct.  1666.  Ruth,  4  Sept. 
1667,  Elizabeth,  16  Oct.  1669.  Benjamin,  5  Feb.  1674,  Sarah,  15  March,  1676,  Joseph, 
12  Sept.  1680,  John,  25  Feb.  1683. 

LOWLE,  PERCIVAL  son  of  Richard,  in.  Mary  Chandler  7  Sept  1664.  Ch.— Rich- 
ard, 25  Dec.  1668,  and  d.  29  May,  1749,  aged  SO,  Gideon,  3  Sept.  1672,  Samuel,  13  Jan. 
1676,  Edmund,  24  Sept.  1684. 

LOWLE,  GIDEON  son  of  Percival,  jun.  m.  Mary .  Daughter  Mary  b.  1 

March,  1693. 

LOWLE,  RICHARD  m.  Sara  Brown  8  April,  1695.  Ch.— Hannah,  11  March,  1696, 
Sarah,  10  April,  1705. 

LUNT,  HENRY  came  to  Newbury  in  1635,  m.  Anne .  He  d.  10  July,  1662.  Ch. 

—Sarah,  8  Nov.  1639,  Daniel,  17  May,  1641,  John,  30  Nov.  1643,  Priscilla,  16  Feb. 
1646,  Mary,  13  July,  1648,  Elizabeth,  29  Dec.  1650,  Henry,  20  Feb.  1653. 

LUNT,  DANIEL  son  of  Henry,  m.  Hannah  Coker  16  May,  1664,  who  d.  29  Jan.  1679. 
His  second  wife  was  Mary  Moody,  widow  of  Samuel  Moody.  Ch. — Hannah,  17 
May,  1665,  Daniel,  1  May,  1667,  Henry,  23  June,  1669,  John,  lp  Feb.  1672,  Sarah,  18 
June,  1674,  Mary  24  July,  1677,  Joseph,  4  March,  1681,  Anne,  28  Jan.  1683,  Benjamin, 
15  March,  1686. 

LUNT,  JOHN  son  of  Henry,  m.  Mary  Skerry,  19  Nov.  1668.  He  d.  17  Sept.  1678. 
Ch.— John,  22  Oct.  1669,  Elizabeth,  12  Oct.  1671,  Henry,  22  Feb.  1674. 

LUNT,  HENRY  son  of  Henry,  m.  Jane .  Ch.— Skipper,  29  Nov.  1679,  Mary  16 

Jan.  1682,  Abraham,  10  December.  1683,  John,  1  Feb.  1686,  William,  4  July,  16S8, 
Daniel,  1  Jan.  1691,  Jane,  9  November,  1693,  Samuel,  26  March,  1696. 

LUNT,  HENRY  3d,  m.  Sarah  Bricket,  1  Jan.  1701. 

LUNT,  THOMAS  m.  Opportunity  Hoppin,  of  Roxbury:  17  Jan.  1679. 


APPENDIX.  309 

LUNT,  HENRY  "jr.   m.  Mary  .      Ch.— Daniel,  15  June,  1695,  Benjamin,   21 

June,  1700. 
MATT  OX,  JOHN  a  sawyer,  came  from  Stepney  parish  in  the  ship  Planter,  1G35.     He 

died  in  Newbury,  24  April.  1643. 

MACKENETENE,  MATTHEW  m.  Grace  Mitchell  10  Feb.  1700. 
MACY,  THOMAS  came  from  Chilmark,  England,  to  Newbury,  thence  to  Salisbury, 

thence  to  Nantucket,  in  1659.     He  m.  Sarah  Hopcot,  who  d.  in  1706,  aged  94.     He 

d.  19  June,  1682,  aged  74.     He  had  six  children. 
MARCH.  MR.  HUGH  carpenter,  m.  Judith ,  who  d.  14  Dec.  1675.     His  second 

wife.  Dorcas  Blackleach,  he  m.  29  May,  1676,  who  d.  22  Nov.  1683.     His  third  wife, 

Sarah  Healy,  he  m.  3  Dec.  1685,  who  d.  25  Oct.  1699.     He  died  12  Dec.  1693,  aged 

73.     Ch.— George,  1646,  Judith,  3  Jan.  1653,  Hugh,  3  Nov.  1656.  John,  10  June,  1658, 

James,  11  Jan.  1664. 
MARCH,  MR.  GEORGE  son  of  Hugh,  m.  Mrs.  Mary  Foulsham  12  June,  1672.     Ch. 

— George.  6  Oct.  1674,  John,  18  Aug.  1676,  Mary,  28  Aug.  and  d.  15  Nov.  1678,.  Ste- 
phen, 19  Sept.  1679,  and  d.  10  Feb.  1684.  James,  19  June,  1681,  Israel,  4  April,  1683, 

Sarah,  6  July.  1685,  Stephen,  16  Nov.  1687,  Henry,  31  July,  1697,  George,  24  April. 

1698,  Jane,  8  May,  1699. 
MARCH,  MAJ.  JOHN  son  of  Hugh,  m.  Jemima  True  1  March,  1679.     Ch.— Judith, 

21  March,  1682,  Mary,  b.  2  ApriCl684,  Joseph,  8  May,  1687,  John,  26  Sept.  1690,  Abi- 
gail, 4  Sept.  1693,  Hugh,  S  Jan.  1696,  Elizabeth,  6  Sept.  1698. 
MARCH,  MR.  JOHN  m.  Mrs.  Mary  Angier,  of  Watertown,  1700.     Son  John  b.  27 

Feb.  1702. 
MARCH,  CAPT.  HUGH  son  of  Hugh,  m.  Mrs.  Sarah  Moody  29  March;-  1683.     Ch. 

—Sarah,  27  April,  1684,  Henry,  22  Sept.  1686,  Samuel,  2  March,  1689,  Elizabeth,  27 

Oct.  1691,  Hannah,  4  Sept.  and-d.  6  Oct.  1694,  Daniel,  30   Oct.  1695,  Mehetable,  3 

Jan.  1703,  Trueman,  14  Nov.  1705. 
MARCH,  LIEUT.  JAMES  son  of  Hugh,  m.  Mary .     Ch.— Benjamin,  23  Nov. 

1690,  Nathaniel,  2  Sept.  1693,  Tabitha,  20  June,  1696. 
MARTIN,  RICHARD  son  of  Richard,  b.  8  Jan.  1674. 
MAJOR,  GEORGE  came  from  the  parish  of  St.  Lora,  in  the  island  of  Jersey,  to 

Newbury.  and  m.  Susanna 21  Aug.  1672.     Ch.— Hannah,  18  May,  1673,  George, 

20  Nov.  1676. 
MARSTON,  WILLIAM  Salem  1637,  thence  to  Newbury,  thence  to  Hamptonr  1640, 

where  he  died  30  June,  1672.     His  wife  was  Sabina.     He  left  five  children. 
MARVYN,  THOMAS  d.  28  Nov.  1651. 
MATTHEWS,  HUGH  m.  Mary  Emerson  28  Aug.  1683.     Ch.— John,  26  Feb.  1688, 

Judith,   30   April,   1689,  Joanna,   19   April,   1690,   Hugh,   15  May,  1691,  Hugh,  19 

May.  169"6. 

MARSHALL,  EDMUND  shipwright.     Ch.— Edmund.  5  Oct.  1677,  John,  7  July.  1682. 
MARSHALL,  MR.  PETER  m.  Mrs.  Abigail.     Ch.— Thomas,  1  July,  1689,  Ruth,  31 

Dec.  1690. 
MAYO,  JOSEPH  m.  Sara  Short,  29  May,  1679.     Ch.— Sarah,  9  July,  1679,  Thomasine, 

10  June,  1689. 
MERRILL,  JOHN  one  of  the  first  settlers,  m.  Elizabeth ,  who  d.  14  July,  1682. 

He  d.  12  Sept.  1673.     He  left  a  daughter  Hannah,  who  m.  Steven  Swett. 
MERRILL,  NATHANIEL  brother  to  John,  m.  Susanna  Jordan.     Ch.— Nathaniel, 

1638,  John,  Abraham,  Susanna,  Daniel,  20  Aug.  1642.  Abel,  20  Feb.  1644.     He  d.  16 

March,  1655. 
MERRILL,  NATHANIEL  son  of  Nathaniel,  m.  Joanna  Kinney,  15  Oct.  1661.     He 

d.  1  Jan.  1683.     Ch.^John,  16  Feb.  1663.  Nathaniel,  8  Feb.  1665,  Peter,  Au«*.  1667, 

Hannah,  12  July,  1672,  Mary,  18  Sept.  1675. 
MERRILL,  MR.  JOHN  son  of  Nathaniel,  m.  Lucy .     Ch.— Nathaniel    26  July 

1687.  John,  by  second  wife  Mary,  b.  27  Feb.  1702. 
MERRILL,  ABRAHAM  son  of  Nathaniel,  m.  Abigail  Webster  1  Jan.  1661.     Ch.— 

Abigail,  13  Aug.  1665,  Mary,  5  July,  1667,  Prudence,  26  April,  1659,  Hannah,  9  Jan. 

1671,  John,  15  Oct.  1673,  Jonathan,  19  Jan.  1676,  David,  20  Feb.  1678,  Sara,   9  Oct. 

1679,  Susanna.  6  Dec.  and  d.  15  Dec.  1681.  Prudence,  1  Oct.  1683. 
MERRILL.  ABEL  son  of  Nathaniel,  m.  Priscilla  Chase  10  Feb.  1671.     Ch.— Abel, 

28  Dec.  1671,  Susanna,  14  Nov.  1673,  Nathan,  3  April,  1676,  Thomas,  1  Jan.  1679, 

Joseph,  12  July,  16£1,  Nathaniel,  6  Feb.  1684,  Priscilla,  13  July,  1686,  James,  27 

Jan.  1689. 
MERRILL,  DANIEL  son  of  Nathaniel,  m.  Sara  Clough  14  May,  1667.     Ch. — John, 

7  Oct.  1674,  Sara,  15  Oct.  1677,  Ruth,  7  Feb.  1681,  Moses  and  Martha,  3  Sept.  1683, 

Stephen,  16  Sept.  1688. 
MERRILL,  ABEL  son  of  Abel,  m.  Abigail  Stevens  19  June,  1694.     Ch. — Samuel   13 

Sept.  1695,  Abel,  20  March,  1698,  Abigail,  22  Jan.  1700. 


310  APPENDIX. 

MERRILL,  NATHAN  son  of  Abel,  m.  Hannah  Kent  6  Sept.  1699.     Ch.— Hannah,  7 

July,  1700,  John,  30  Nov.  1701,  Priscilla,  16  Oct.  1703. 
MERRILL,  NATHANIEL  son  of  Nathaniel,  jun.  m.  Rebecca ,  who  d.  9  Dec. 

1689.     His  second  wife  was  Sarah .     Ch. — Nathaniel,  23  Nov.  1688,  Hannah,  30 

Dec.  1692,  Sarah,  26  Oct.  1694. 
MERRILL,  PETER  son  of  Nathaniel,  jun.  m.  Mary .     Ch.— Mary,  13  Jan.  1693, 

Peter,  10  March,  1696. 
MERRILL,  ABRAHAM  jun.  m.  Abigail  Bartlet  1696.     Ch.— Abraham,  23  Aug.  1698, 

Abigail,  5  May,  1701,  Elizabeth,  2  May,  1705. 
MILLER,  MARY  d.  6  May.  1664. 
MILLER,  JOSEPH  d.  21  July,  1681. 
MJRICK,  JAMES  was  born  in   1612.     Ch.— Hannah,  6  Feb.  1657,  Abigail,  5  Sept. 

1658,  Joseph,  27  April,  1661,  Isaac,  6  Jan.  1665,  Timothy,  28  Sept.  1666,  Susanna,  20 

Aug.  1670. 
MIRICK,  TIMOTHY  son  of  James,  m.  Mary  Lancaster,  1696.     Ch.— Ezra,  31  March, 

1697;  Abigail,  26  Nov.  1698. 

MIRICK,  JAMES  son  of  James,  jr.  b.  16  April,  1683. 
MIRICK,  JAMES  jr.  m.  Hannah .     Ch.— Benjamin,  16  April,  1683,  James,  16 

July,  1684,  John,  10  Sept.  1686. 
MITCHELL,  WILLIAM  m.  Mary  Sawyer  7  Nov.  1648.     He  d.  6  July,  1654.     His 

widow  m.  Robert  Savory.     Ch. — Mary,  31  Aug.  1649,  John,  21  May,  1651,  William, 

I  March,  1653,  Elizabeth.  15  March,  1655. 

MITCHELL,  JOHN  son  of  William,  m.  Hannah  Spafford  20  May,  1680,  who  d.  24 

April,  1689.     He  m.  Constance  Moores  15  Nov.  1697.     Ch. — Hannah,  12  April,  1681, 

Sara,  26  Sept.  1682,  John,  17  June,  1685,  Sara,  10  April,  1689. 
MILWARD,  MR.  THOMAS,   mariner,  came  to  Newbury  1636  or  7,  was  in  cape  Ann 

1640,  and  d.  in  Boston,  1  Sept.  1653,  aged  53.     Ch. — Ann,  Nov.  1642,  Rebecca  and 

Elizabeth. 
MINGO,  ROBERT  m.  Elizabeth .     Ch.— Thomas,  2  June,  1689.  Robert,  11  Oct. 

1697. 
MOODY,  WILLIAM  saddler,  came  from  Ipswich,  England,  to  Ipswich,  1634,  then 

Newbury,  1635.     His  wife  was  Sarah.     Ch. — Joshua,  Caleb,  William. and  Samuel. 
MOODY,  REV.  JOSHUA  son  of  William,  graduated,  settled  in  Portsmouth,  moved 

to  Boston  and  there  died.     See  appendix. 
MOODY,  CALEB  son  of  William,  m.  Sara  Pierce  24  Aug.  1659,  who  d.  25  Aug.  1665. 

His  second  wife,  Judith  Bradbury,  he  m.  9  Nov.  1665,  who  d.  24  Jan.  1700.     He  d.  25 

Aug.  1698,  aged  61.     Ch.— Daniel,  4  April,  1662,  Sara,  23  July,  1664,  Caleb,  9  Sept. 

1666,  Thomas,  20  Oct.  1668,  Judith,  23  Sept.  1669,  and  d.  at  Salisbury  28  Jan.  1679, 

Joshua,  3  Nov.  1671,  William,  15  Dec.  1673,  Samuel,  4  Jan.  1676,  Mary,  23  Oct.  1678, 

Judith.  12  Feb.  1683. 
MOODY  WILLIAM  son  of  William,  m.  Mehetabel  Sewall  15  Nov.  1684.    Ch.— Mary, 

30  May,  1685.  deac.  Samuel,  21  March,  1689,  and  d.  25  May,  1767,  Mehetabel,  15 

Feb.  1691,  and  probably  others.     William,  son  of  It.  Wm.  died  23  Feb.  1700. 
MOODY,  SAMUEL  son  of  William,  m.  Mary  Cutting  9  Nov.  1657.     He  died  4  April, 

1675.     Ch.— Mary,  16  Nov.  1658,  William,  22  July,  1661,  Sara,  20  June,  1663,  Mary, 

18  Feb.  1665,  Lydia,  5  Aug.  1667;  Hannah,  4  Jan.  1700,  Samuel,  Dec.  1671,  Cutting, 

9  April,  1674,  William,  John  and  Sarah. 

MOODY,  SAMUEL  son  of  Samuel,  m.  Sarah  Knight  16  April,  1700. 
MOODY,  JOHN  son  of  Samuel,  m.  Hannah  .     Ch.— Apphia,  23  June,  1693, 

Sarah,  7  March,  1697. 
MOODY,  CUTTING  son  of  Samuel,  m.  Judith  Little  25  March,  1696.     Ch.— Hannah, 

16  March,  1699,  Joseph,  26  April,  1701. 
MOODY,  DANIEL  son   of  Caleb,  m.  Elizabeth  Somerby  29  March,  1683.     Son 

Daniel  b.  27  Feb.  1684. 
MOODY,  THOMAS  son  of  Caleb,  m.  Judith  Hale.  Ch.— Ezra,  11  April,  1693,  Sara,  11 

Feb.  1695,  Caleb,  10  March,  1697,  Judith,  6  Aug.  1699,  Oliver,  7  Oct.  1701,  Thomas, 

II  Jan.  1704. 

MOODY,  CALEB  son  of  m.  Ruth  Morse  9  Dec.  1690.    Daughter  Judith,  16 

Sept.  1691. 
MOODY,  MR.  JOSHUA  son  of  Caleb,  m.  Mrs.  Mary  Greenleaf  1696.     Ch.— Mary, 

26  June,  1697,  Elizabeth,  4  Dec.  1698,  Joshua,  11  Nov.  1700,  Abigail,  30  Sept.  1703, 

Judith.  26  Oct.  1705. 

MOORING,  JOSEPH  d.  s  May,  1689. 

MOORES.  EDMUND  was  born  in  1614,  came  to  Newbury  1640,  m.  Ann ,  who 

d.  7  June,  1676.  Ch.— Martha,  12  Dec.  1643,  Jonathan,  23  April,  1646,  Mary,  30  Nov. 
1648,  Edmund,  who  died  8  Nov.  1656,  Richard,  3  Nov.  1653,  Sarah,  1  April,  1661. 

MOORES,  EDMUND  jr.  m.  Sarah  C 3  Jan.  1677.     He  d.  19  April,  1699.     Ch.— 


APPENDIX.  311 

Edmund,  5  Dec.  1677,  Sarah,  9  Dec.  1681,  Mark,  9  Feb.  1699,  Martha,  20  Aug.  1691, 

Edmund,  3  April,  1693. 
MOORES,  SAMUEL  m.  Hannah  Plumer  3  May,  1653,  who  d.  8  Dec.  1654.     His 

second  wife,  Mary  Ilsley,  he  m.  12  Sept.  1656. 
MOORES,  MATTHEW  m.  Sara  Savory  27  March,  1662.     Ch.— Sara,  15 Dec.  1663, 

William,  26  May.  1664,  William,  10  Feb.  1666. 
MOORES,  JONATHAN  son  of  Edmund,  m.  Constance  Longhorne,  10  May,  1670. 

Ch.— Richard,  24  July,  1683,  Samuel,  20  Feb.  1686,  Thomas,  6  Nov.  1688,  Dorothy, 

8  Dec.  1690. 

MOORES,  HANNAH  d.  25  March,  1665. 

MORSS,  ANTHONY  shoemaker,  came  from  Marlborough,  England,  in  the  ship 
James  to  Newbury,  1635.  His  wife's  name  was  Mary.  His  second  wife  Mary 
Barnard,  whom  he  m.  16  Nov.  1669.  He  died  25  Feb.  1678,  asred  60.  Ch. — Benja- 
min, 4  March,  1640,  Sara,  1  May,  1641,  Lydia  d.  May.  1645,  Lydia,  7  Oct.  1647,  Mary, 

9  April,  1649,  and  d.  14  June,  1662,  Hester,  3  May.  1651,  Joshua,  24  July,  1653,  Joseph, 
John,  Peter,  and  Anthony. 

MORSS.  WILLIAM  shoemaker,  brother  to  Anthony,  came  with  him  to  Newbury. 

He  m.  Elizabeth .     He  d.  29  Nov.  1683,  aged  69.     Ch.— Hannah,  6  March,  1641, 

Timothy,  10  June,  1647,  and  d.  27  Dec.  1659,  Abigail,  14  Feb.  1652,  Jonathan,  Oba- 

diah,  and  Elizabeth. 
MORSS,  ANTHONY  jun.  m.  Elizabeth  Knight  8  May,  1660,  who  d.  29  July,  1667. 

He  also  m.  Ann ,  whod.  9  March,  1680.     He  d.  12   Oct.  1686.     Ch.— Ruth,  20 

May,  1661,  and  d.  24  July,  Joseph,  29  July,  1665,  Elizabeth,  29  July,  1667,  John,  13 

Sept.  1670,  Peter.  14  Nov.  1674,  Sara,  23  November,  1676.  Mary,  31  Aug.  1672. 
MORSS,  ROBERT  m.  Ann  Lewis  30  Oct.  1654.     Ch. — Elizabeth,  25  Sept.  1655,  Ma- 
ry. 25  Feb.  1658,  and  d.  23  Nov.  Lydia,  13  July,  1662,  Sara,  28  April,  1666. 
MORSS,  BENJAMIN  son  of  Anthony,  sen.  m.  Ruth  Sawyer,  27  Aug.  1667.     Ch.— 

Benjamin, 24  Aug.  1668,  Ruth,  8  Dec.  1669,  Joseph,  5  Feb.  1672,  William,  23  Jan. 

1674,  Sara,  13  Jan.  1676,  and  d.  Jan.  1679,  Philip,  19  Oct.  1677,  Sara,  19  Jan.  1680, 

Ann,  27  March,  1681,  Mary,  15  May,  1686,  Samuel,  7  Dec.  1688. 
MORSS,  ANTHONY  m.  Sara  Pike  4  Feb.  1686.     Ch.— Sara,  27  Oct.  1686,  and  d.  13 

Nov.  Anthony,  26  May,  1690.  Joseph,  3  April,  1694,  Stephen,  28  Dec.  1695,  Thomas,  25 

March,  1702. 
MORSS,  BENJAMIN  jun.  son  of  Benjamin,  m.  Susanna  Merrill  28  Jan.  1692.     Ch. — 

Abel,  5  Oct.  1692,  Ruth,  25  Sept.  1694,  Priscilla,  22  April,  1697,  Judith,  13   March, 

1699,  Stephen,  30  March,  1701,  Margaret,  14  April.  1702. 
MORSE,  JOSEPH  son  of  Anthony,  jun.  m.  Lydia ,  who  d.  8  Nov.  1689.     His 

second  wife  was  Elizabeth .     Ch.— Lydia,  2  Nov.  1689,  Joseph,  28  Oct.  1693, 

Daniel,  8  March,  1695,  John,  22  Oct.  1696,  Mary,  10  Jan.  1699. 
MORSE,  JOSHUA  m.  Joanna .who d.  10  April,  1691.  He  d.  28  March,  1691.  Ch.— 

Hannah,  15  Feb.  1681,  Joshua,  11  April,  and  d.  1  July,  1686,  Anthony,  15  April,  1688. 
MORSE,  WILLIAM  m.  Sara  Merrill  12  May,  1696.     Ch.— Daniel,  26  April,  1697, 

Ruth,  4  March,  1699. 

MORSE,  JONATHAN  m.  Mary  Clarke,  3  May,  1671. 
MORSE.     BENJAMIN    tertius  m.   Susanna  .      Ch.— Joseph,    26    Aug.    1691, 

Mary,  29  Jan.  1694,  Hannah,  20  Jan.  1696.  Joshua,  1  March,  1698,  and  d.  26  June,  1699, 

Joshua,  30  March,  1700,  Margaret,  14  April,  1702,  Mary,  8  Sept.  1703. 
MORSE,  JOSEPH,  jun.  m.  Sarah  Merrill,  1696.     Ch.— Sarah,  30  Dec.  1697,  Joseph,  30 

April,  1700,  Abigail,  30  Dec.  1702. 
MORSE,  ANN  wife  of  Anthony,  d.  9  May,  1681. 
MORRISON,  DANIEL  m.  Hannah ,  who  d.  9  Oct.  1700.     Ch.— Daniel,  1  Aug. 

1691,  John,  28  March,  1693,  Hannah,  27  Jan.  1696,  Ebenezer,  6  Oct.  1697,  Mary,  20 

March. 

MOULTON,  THOMAS  Newbury,  1637,  Hampton,  1639,  where  he  died  18  Feb.  1665. 
MOULTON,  JOHN   Newbury,   1637,   Hampton,  1639,  and  there  died  1651.     Ch.— 

William,  Thomas,  Henry,  Bridget  and  Jane,  twins,  who  d.  the  same  day,  19  March, 

,  aged  64. 

MOULTON,  WILLIAM  m.  Abigail  Webster  27  May,  1685.     Cb..— Abigail,  13  June, 

1686,  Batt,  4  July,  1688,  Jonathan,  7  Sept.  1692,  Joseph,  25  Nov.  1694,  Margaret,  21 

Feb.  1699,  and  d.  25  Sept.  1701,  Sarah,  4  July,  1701,  Mary,  2  Aug.  1705. 
'MUSSILOWAY,  DANIEL  alias  ROGER  WALDRON,'  an  Irishman,  was  born  in 

1645,  m.  Anne  Chase  14  June,  1672,  who  d.  21  April,  1687.     His  second  wife  was 

Mary .     Ch.— Daniel,  16  May,  and  d.  19  May,  1688,  Daniel,  9  Sept.  1690,  John, 

13  Feb.  1693.     The  name  is  now  Siloway.     He  died  18  Jan.  1711. 
MUFFET,  WILLIAM  m.  Mehetabel .     Ch.— William,  14  Feb.  1693,  John,  18 

June,  1695,  Mehetabel,  17  Dec.  1700,  Joseph,  11  July,  1703. 
MUSSELWHITE,  came  from  Langford  in  the  ship  James,  to  Newbury,  in  1635.    He 


o!2  APPENDIX. 

died  30  Jan.  1G71,  leaving  estate  to  sister  Eda,  brother  Thomas,  and  brother  John,  in 
Beaverstock,  in  Wiltshire. 
MUSSE  Y,  JOSEPH  son  of  Robert,  of  Ipswich,  was  born  in  1028,  m.  Esther  Jackman 

9  Feb.  1671.     He  d.  30  Dec.  1680.     Ch.— Mary,  25  Nov.   1672,  Esther,  8  Jan.  1675, 
Joseph.  21  Dec.  1677,  Benjamin,  17  Aug.  1680. 

MUSSEY.  JOSEPH  son   of  Joseph,  m.  Joanna   Pettingell,   1700.      Ch.— Joseph,   1 

March,  1703,  Mary.  2  Aug.  1705. 
NEFF,  WILLIAM  Newbury,  thence  to  Haverhill,  m.  Mary  Corliss  23  Jan.  1665.     He 

died  Feb.  1689,  aged  47.  Mary  NefF  was  with  Mrs.  Hannah  Dunstan,  when  she  killed 

the  Indians,  in  1697. 

NELSON,  PHILIP  of  Rowley,  m.  Elizabeth  Lowle  1  Jan.  1667. 
NISBITT,  MR.  WILLIAM  m.  Hannah  Woodman  5  June,  1690.     Daughter  Sarah  b. 

14  March,  1691. 
NOYES,  REV.  JAMES  was  born  in  Choulderton,  Wiltshire,  in  1608,  m.  Miss  Sarah 

Brown,  of  Southampton,  Eng.  came  to  New  England  1634,  and  to  Newbury  1635. 

He  d:  22  Oct.  1656.  ag.  48.     Ch.— Joseph,  15  Oct.  1637,  James,  11  March.  1640,  Sarah, 

12  Aug.  1641,  and  d.  21  Feb.  1*653,  Moses,' 6  Dec.  1643,  John,  3  June,  1645,  Thomas, 

10  Aug.  1648,  Rebecca,  1  April,  1651,  William,  22  Sept.  1653,  Sarah.  25  March,  1656. 
NOYES,  COL.  THOMAS  son  of  rev.  James,  m.  Martha  Pierce  28  Dec.  1669,  who  d. 

3  Sept.  1674.  He  then  m.  Elizabeth  Greenleaf  24  Sept.  1677.  Ch.— Sara,  14  Sept. 
1670,  Martha,  24  Feb.  1673,  Daniel,  30  Aug.  1674,  James  3  July,  1678, Thomas, 2  Oct. 
1679,  Parker,  29  Oct.  1681,  Elizabeth,  29  Feb.  1684,  Joseph,  5  Aug.  1688,  Moses,  29 
Jan.  1692,  Rebekah.  19  April,  1700,  Judith,  17  April,  1702. 

NOYES,  NICHOLAS  brother  to  rev.  James,  b.  in  1614,  m.  Mary  Cutting,  sister  of 
capt.  John  Cutting.  He  died  23  Nov.  1701,  aged  83.  Ch.— Mary,  15  pet.  1641,  Han- 
nah, 30  Oct.  1643,  John, 28  Jan.  1646,  Nicholas,  22  Dec.  1647,  Cutting, -23  Sept.  1649, 
Sarah,  13  Sept.  1651,  Sarah,  22  Aug.  1653,  Timothy,  23  June,  1655,  "James,  16  May, 
1657,  Abigail,  11  April,  1659.  Rachel,  10  May,  1661,  Thomas,  20  June.  1663,  Rebecca, 
18  May,  1665.  and  d.  1  Dec.  1683T 

NOYES,  JOHN  son  of  Nicholas,  m.  Mary  Poore  23  Nov.  1668.  Ch.— Nicholas,  18 
May,  1671,  Daniel,  23  Oct.  1673,  Mary,  10  Dec.  1675,  John,  15  Feb.  1678,  Martha.  24 
Dec.  1679,  Martha,  19  Dec.  1680,  Nathaniel,  28  Oct.' 1681,  Elizabeth  15  Nov.  1684, 
Moses,  22  May,  1688,  Samuel,  5  Feb.  1692. 

NOYES,  MR.  WILLIAM  son  of  rev.  James,  m.  Sara  Cogswell  6  Nov.  1685.  Ch.— 
John,  27  July,  1686,  William,  1  Sept.  1688,  Sarah.  10  May,  1691.  and  d.  3  Dec.  1703, 
Moses,  27  Jan.  1694,  and  d.  16  Feb.  Susanna,  25  Feb.  1696,  Mary,  24  May,  1699,  and 
d.  16  Dec.  1703,  Sarah,  5  Dec.  1703,  Parker,  17  Jan.  1705. 

NOYES,  CUTTING  son  of  Nicholas,  m.  Elizabeth  Knight,  25  Feb.  1674.  Ch.— 
John,  15  Dec.  1674,  Cutting,  28  Jan.  1677,  Elizabeth,  2  Jan.  1679,  Nicholas,  22  May, 
1681,  and  d.  5  Dec.  1694,  Joseph,  2\  Jan.  1689,  Mary,  27  March,  1693. 

NOYES,  TIMOTHY  son  of  Nicholas,  m.  Mary  Knight  13  Jan.  1681.  Abigail.  28  Feb. 
1685.  Mary,  8  Dec.  1686,  Sarah,  26  March,  1789,  Timothy,  25  Jan.  1691,  Rachel  8  Feb. 
1694J  John,  19  Feb.  1696.  Martha,  14  March,  1697,  Nicholas,  7  March,  1701. 

NOYES,  JAMES  son  of  Nicholas,  m.  Hannah  Knight  31  March,  1684.  Ch.— Rebecca, 
12  Jan.  1685,  Joseph,  20  Sept.  1686,  Hannah,  13  March,  1688,  Nicholas,  9  Feb.  1690, 
Nathan.  5  Feb.  1692,  Ephraim,  20  Nov.  and  d.  19  Dec.  1694,  Lydia,  30  Nov.  1695, 
Ephraim,  25  Dec.  1698,  Benjamin,  22  Feb.  1701,  Mary,  13  March,  1703,  James,  19 
Aug.  1705. 

NOYES,  THOMAS  jun.  son  of  Nicholas,  m.  Sarah .  Ch.— Bethia,  20  Oct.  1691, 

Rebecca,  20  Jan.  and  d.  28  Jan.  1694. 

NOYES,  NICHOLAS  jun.  son  of  John,  m.  Sara  Lunt  1695.  Ch.— John,  21  July,  and 
d.  7  Aug.  1696.  Sarah,  15  Sept.  1697,  John,  Dec.  6,  1699. 

NOYES,  DANIEL  m.  Judith  Knight  29  Dec.  1703. 

NOYES,  JOHN  m.  Mary  Noyes  1700. 

NOYES,  CUTTING  m.  Elizabeth  Toppan  8  Jan.  1703. 

OLIVER,  MR.  JOHN  born  in  Bristol,  England,  in  1613,  came  to  Newbury  1639,  m. 
Mrs.  Joanna  Goodale.  He  d.  in  1642,  aged  29.  His  widow  m.  capt.  William  Gerrish, 
and  daughter  Mary  bom  in  1640,  m.  Samuel  Appleton.  of  Ipswich  8  Dec.  1656. 

ORDWAY,  JAMES  came,  tradition  says,  from  Wales  to  Newbury.  He  was  born  in 
1620,  mar.  Ann  Emery  23  Nov.  1648,  who  d.  31  March,  1687.  Ch. — Ephraim,  25 
April,  1650,  James,  16  April,  1651,  Edward,  14  Sept.  1653,  Sarah,  14  Sept.  1656.  John, 
17  Nov.  1658,  Isaac.  4  Dec.  1660,  and  d.  16  Jan.  1669,  Jane,  12  Nov.  1663,  Hananiah, 
2  Dec.  1665.  Anne,  12  Feb.  1670,  Mary,  5  April,  1670.  He  died  after  1702. 

ORDWAY,  JOHN  son  of  James  m.  Mary  Godfrey  5  Dec.  1681.  Ch.— Mary,  18  Sept. 
1682,  John,  29  Oct.  1684,  James,  4  July,  1687,  Peter,  15  Sept.  1691,  Hannah,  20  Nov. 
and  d.  5  Dec.  1693.  Hannah,  6  March,  1695,  Stephen,  8  April,  1697,  Ann,  15  May, 
1699,  Nathan,  28  April,  1703. 


APPENDIX.  313 

ORDWAY,  JAMES  jun.  son  of  James,  m.  Tirzah .     Ch.  12  Oct.  1691,  who  d.  10 

.Jan.  1696.     His  second  wife,  Sarah  Clark,  of  Rowley,  he  m.  May,  1696.     Ch.— Lydia, 

1-2  July.  1693,  Lydia.  14  July,  1696,  Joanna.  22  May.  1697,  John,  22  June,  1699,  Mary, 

28  April.  1703. 
ORDWAY.  EDWARD  son  of  James,  m.  Mary  Wood  12  Dec.  1678;     Ch.— Joanna,  28 

Nov.  itiSo.  Rachel,  14  Jan.  168$  Jacob,  14  Jan.  1690,  Isaiah,  28  Jan/1692,  Daniel,  13 

Jan.  1001.' 
ORDWAY.  HANANIAH  son  of  James,  m.  Abigail  .     Ch.— Rebecca,  2^  Dec. 

1690.  Abigail,  2  Aug.  1693,  Nathaniel,  3  July,  1695,  Joanna,  15  April,  1698,  Elizabeth, 

1  f)  Feb.  1  702. 

ORDWAY.  SAM  TEL  m.. .     His  son  Isaac  b.  4  Feb.  1680. 

OSGOOD.  JOHN  was  born  in   AnHover,  England.  23  July,  1595.  came  to  Ipswich, 

thence  to  Newbury.  thence  to  Andover  1645.  and  there  died  in  1651,  aged  56.     Ch. — 

John.  Stephen,  Mary,  and  Elizabeth. 
PALMER.  HENRY  came  to  Newbury  about  1637.  moved  to  Haverhill,  and  there  died 

15  July,  16SO.     He  had  two  daughters. 
PALMER.  WILLIAM  came  to  Newbury  about  1637,  removed  to  Piscataqua.     His 

daughter  Martha  m.  John  Sherman  of  Watertown. 
PALMER,  JOSEPH  m.  Sara  Jackman   18  March,  1665.     Ch. — Sara,  5  Dec.  1665, 

James,  IS  Dec.  1667.  Joseph,  8  July,  1670. 
PALMER,  JOSEPH  son  of  Joseph,  m. -.     His  second  wife  was  Hester .     Ch. 

—Joseph.  24  Oct  1696,  William,"  May.  1700.  Joseph,  10  Nov.  1702. 
PARKER.  NATHAN  came  early  to  Newbury,  thence  to  Andover  in  1645,  m.  Sara 

Short  10  Nov.  1648.     He  died  in  1685. 
PARKER.  JOSEPH  came  early  to  Newbury,  thence  to   Andover.     Ch. — Joseph,  15 

Mat.  1642,  Stephen,  John,  and  Samuel. 
PARKER.  NATHAN  m.  Mary  Browne  15  Dec.  1675.     Daughter  Mary  was  bora  and 

d.  6  April.  1679. 

PARKER,  NATHANIEL  had  a  daughter  Mary  b.  11  July,  1678. 
PARKER,  REV.  THOMAS  only  son  of  rev.  Robert  Parker,  of  Wiltshire,  was  born  in 

1596,  came  to  Ipswich  May,  1634,  thence  to  Newbury  in  1635,  and  there  died  unmar- 
ried 24  April,  1677. 
PEARSON.  BENJAMIN  son  of  John,  of  Rowley,  m.  Hannah  Thurston.     Ch.— Phebe, 

14  July,  1682,  Daniel,  25  Dec.  1684,  Abigail.  1  March,  1689.  Benjamin.  12  Aug.  1690, 

and  d.'5  April.  1774,  Sarah.  10  Dec..l69f,  Mehetabel,  18  May,  1695,  Joseph, "4  Dec. 

1699.  David.  18  Jan.  1702,  Oliver,  14  Aug.  1704. 
PEARSON.  SAMUEL  m.  Poor  6  Dec.  1670. 
PEASLEY,  JOSEPH  an  early  settler  in  Newbury,  thence  to  Salisbury,  now  Ames- 

bury,  wh'ere  he  died  3  Dec.  1660.     Ch. — Sarah,  20  Sept.  1642,  Joseph,"9   Sept.  1646, 

Elizabeth. 

PENG R IN.  MOSES  married  Abigail .     Daughter  Abigail.  11  Nov.  1695. 

PEMBERTON.  JAMES  was  in  Newbury  in  1646.     Ch.— John  b.  in  Newbury  16  Feb. 

1648.     Thomas  and  Joseph  were  born  in  Boston,  where  a  James  Pemberton  died  11 

Oct.  1696. 
PEMBERTON.  JOHN  was  dismissed  from  Boston  to  Newbury  church  24  Nov.  1640. 

His  wife  died  22  Feb.  1646. 

PERKINS,  BENJAMIN  had  a  son  Daniel  b.  18  Dec.  1684. 

PERKINS,  LYDIA  of  Newbuvy,  m.  Eliakim  Wardwell,  of  Hampton,  17  Oct.  1659. 
PENUEL.  WALTER  m.  Anne  15  April.  1700. 
PERRY.  JOHN  and  wife  Damaris  were  in  Newbury  in  1651.     He  sold  his  farm  to 

Samuel.  Plumer. 
PETTINGELL.  RICHARD  born  in  1621.  came,  tradition  says,  from  Staffordshire  to 

Wenham.  \\here  he  was  in  1648.     In  1652  he  came  to  Newbury  with  his  wife  Joanna, 

(who  was  daughter  of  Richard  Ingersoll,of  Salem.)  and  several  children.    Mary  was 

born  in  Newbury  6  July.  1652,  Nathaniel,  21  Sept.  1654.  N 

PETTINGELL,  NATHANIEL  son  of  Richard,  m.  Hannah  Goodridge  1703.     Ch.— 

Mary,  died  3  March.  1698. 
PETTINGELL,  SAMUEL  son  of  Richard,  m.  Sarah  Poore  16  Feb.  1674.     Ch.— 

Samuel,  3  Feb.  1676,  Richard,  26  Aug.  1677.  Richard,  24  Jan.  1679,  John.  20  Sept. 

1680.  Mary  and  Sara,  20  Jan.  1686.  Joanna,  10  Feb.  1689.  Benjamin.  18  Dec.  1692. 
PETTINGELL.  MATTHEW  son  of  Richard,  m.  Sam.  Noyes  13  April,  1674.     Ch.— 

Nathaniel.  21  Jan.  1676,  Matthew,  18  Sept.  1678,  Joanna,  27  Jan.  1681,  Nicholas,  15 

Nov.  1685.  Sarah,  19  April,  16S8,  John,  16  Feb.  1694,  Abraham,  23  Sept.  1696,  Abigail, 

17  Oct.  1699,  Mary,  d.  3  March,  1698.     His  second  wife  Jemima  French  he  m.  in  1703. 

PETTINGELL,  MATTHEW  ir.  m.  Joanna ,    His  son  Abraham  b.  4  Dec.  1704. 

PETTINGELL,  DANIEL  m.  Mary  Stickney  13  Nov.  1699.    Son  Daniel  b.  5  Jan.  1705 
PETTINGELL,  RICHARD  son  of  Samuel,  m.  Jemima  Cheney,  10  Oct.  1701 
40 


314  APPENDIX. 

PETTINGELL,  NATHANIEL  jr.  m.  Margaret  Richardson  1702;  Daughter  Anne  b. 
22  Dec.  1703. 

PHELPS,  EDWARD  m.  Elizabeth  Adams.  Son  John  b.  15  Dec.  1657.  He  moved  to 
Andover. 

PIKE,  JOHN  laborer,  came  from  Langford,  England,  in  the  ship  James,  to  Newbury, 
in  1635.  He  d.  in  Salisbury  26  May,  1654.  Ch.— Robert,  b.  in  1615,  John,  Dorothy, 
Ann,  Israel,  a,  daughter,  Sarah,  who  d.  Nov.  1659,  Dorothy,  who  m.  Daniel  Hendrick. 

'The  worshipful  maj.  ROBERT  PIKE,'  son  of  John,  died  in  Salisbury  12  Dec.  1706, 
in  his  92d  year. 

PIKE,  JOHN  son  of  John,  m.  Mary .  Ch.— Joseph,  26  Dec.  1638,  John,  12  Jan. 

164-1,  and  d.  28  May,  1649,  Hannah,  26  April,  1643,  Mary,  11  Nov.  1647,  John,  30  Mar. 
1650,  Ruth,  17  July,  1652.  Sarah,  13  Sept.  1655,  Thomas,  7  Dec.  1057,  Samuel. 

PIKE,  JOSEPH  son  of  John,  jr.  m.  Susanna  Kingsbury  29  Jan.  1662.  Ch.— Sarah,  12 
Oct.  1666,  Mary,  19  April  1670,  John,  28  Dec.  1671,  Joseph,  17  April,  1674.  He  died 
1694,  aged  73.  Benjamin,  21  Sept.  1676,  Hannah,  24  March,  1679,  Thomas,  4  Aug. 
1681.  •  He  was  probably  the  Joseph  Pike  killed  by  the  Indians  in  Haverhill,  4  Sept. 
1694. 

PIKE,  JOSEPH  son  of  Joseph,  m.  Hannah  Smith  Dec.  1695.  Ch.— Joseph.  4  Nov. 
1696,  John,  24  Feb.  1699,  Thomas,  25  Sept.  1700,  James,  1  March,  1703,  Sarah,  2 
April,  and  d.  20  June,  1705.  Joseph,  d.  1757,  aged  84. 

PIKE,  JOHN  son  of  John  jr.  m.  Lydia,  widow  of  Moses  Little,  18  March,  1695.  Ch, 
— Judith,  4  Dec.  1695,  Susanna,  3  April,  1697,  Lydia,  23  Dec.  1698,  Joanna,  17  Dec. 
1700,  Dorothy,  23  Sept.  1702. 

PIKE,  HUGH  m.  Sarah  Brown,  17  June,  1685.     Son  Hush  b.  28  May,  1686. 

PILSBURY,  WILLIAM  came,  tradition  says,  from  Staffordshire.  He  m.  Dorothy 
Crosby,  in  Dorchester,  about  1641,  thence  to  Newbury,  where  he  d.  19  June,  1686. 
Ch. — Caleb,  28  Jan.  1654,  and  d.  4  July,  1680,  William,  27  July.  1656,  Experience,  10 
April,  1658,  Increase,  10  Oct.  1660,  Thankful,  22  April,  1662,* Joshua,  20  June,  1674, 
Moses,  Job,  Abel. 

PILSBURY,  WILLIAM  son  of  William,  m.  Mary  Kenny  13  Dec.  1677.  Ch.— Wil- 
liam, 22  March,  1680,  Experience,  16  April,  1682,  William,  7  July,  1687,  Lydia,  25 
Dec.  1689,  Increase,  5  Jan.  1695,  Apphia,  8  May,  1700. 

PILSBURY,  MOSES  son  of  William,  m  Susanna  Worth,  1668.  'Ch.— Joseph,  6  June, 
1670,  Dorothy,  9  April,  1675,  Susanna,  5  Fek  1677,  Judith,  16  March,  1679,  Caleb,  27 
July,  1681,  Hannah,  3  May,  1686. 

PILSBURY,  JOB  son  of  William,  m.  Katharine  Gavet  5  April,  1677.  Ch.— Daniel, 
20  Sept.  1678,  Josiah,  17  April,  1686. 

PILSBURY,  ABEL  son  of  William,  m.  Mary -.  Ch. — Joshua,  12  April,  1679, 

John,  13  Sept.  1682,  Jacob,  20  March,  1687,  Abel,  12  April,  1690,  Elizabeth,  20  March, 
1694.  ' 

PILSBURY.  DANIEL  m.  Sarah  Allen  1703. 

PILSBURY,'  CALEB  m.  Sarah  Morse  1702. 

PILSBURY,  JOSEPH  son  of  Moses,  m.  Sarah .  Ch.— Joseph,  16  Jan.  1695,  Mo- 
ses, 19  Sept.  1697,  Nathan,  3  June,  1699. 

PILSBURY,  MOSES  jun.  m.  Abigail  Rolf  1698.  Ch.— Moses,  16  Jan.  1699,  Abigail, 
9  Aug.  1700. 

PIERCE,  DANIEL  blacksmith,  came  from  London  to  Watertown,  thence  to  Newbu- 
ry about  1637.  His  first  wife  was  Sarah.  He  m.  Anne  Milward,  26  Dec,  1654.  She 
d.  27  Nov.  1690.  He  d.  27  Nov.  1677.  Ch.— Joshua,  15  May,  1643,  Martha,  14  Feb. 
1648,  Daniel,  15  May,  1642,  and  'son  in  law  Thorpe.' 

PIERCE,  DANIEL  son  of  Daniel,  m. .  Ch.— Joanna,  who  d.  16  Sept.  1690,  Dan- 
iel, 20  Dec.  1663,  who  d.  2  Sept.  1690,  Anne,  22  May.  1666,  Benjamin,  26  Feb.  1669, 
Joshua,  16  Oct.  1671,  Martha,  26  Feb.  1677,  Sara,  3  Oct.  1679,  George,  5  March,  1681, 
Mary,  14  April,  1685.  John,  16  Oct.  1687,  Catharine,  18  Sept.  1690. 

PIERCE,  MR.  THOMAS  m.  Mehetabel  Frost  5  Jan.  1698.     Son  John  b.  5  Nov.  1698. 

PIERCE,  BENJAMIN  son  of  Daniel,  jun.  m.  Lydia .  Ch.— Daniel,  6  Aug.  1693, 

and  d.  25  Aug.  Charles,  3  Feb.  1695,  Elizabeth,  14  Nov.  1696,  Daniel,  11  Oct.  1698, 
Benjamin,  13  June,  1700,  John,  7  Nov.  1703. 

PIERCE,  MR.  JOSHUA  m.  Mrs.  Joanna.     Daughter  Anne,  14  Oct.  1704. 

PEABODY.  WILLIAM  m.  Mary  Browne.  8  Dec.  1680. 

POORE,  JOHN  came  from  Wiltshire  to  Newbury  in  1635.  He  d.  23  Nov.  1684,  aged 
69.  Ch. — Jonathan,  John,  21  June,  1642,  Hannah,  14  Oct.  1645,  Elizabeth,  8  Nov. 
1647,  Mary,  15  July,  1648,  Hannah,  25  March,  1649,  Henry,  13  Dec.  1650,  Mary,  6 
March,  1652,  and  d.  8  Sept.  Joseph,  4  Oct.  1653,  Mary,  J2  Dec.  1654,  Sarah,  5  June, 
1655,  Lydia,  5  Dec.  1656,  Edward,  4  April,  1658,  Abigail,  26  March,  1660,  Abigail,  5 
Aug.  1661. 

POORE,  JOHN  son  of  John,  m.  Mary  Titcomb,  27  Feb.  1666.     Ch.— John,  7  Mav, 


APPENDIX.  315 

Tind  d.  4  Oct.  1668,  Mary,  9  Aug.  1669,  Sarah,  27  Oct.  1671.  Elizabeth,  26  July,  1674, 
Hannah,  16  Aug.  1677,  Jonathan,  5  Feb.  1C79,  Judith,  22  May,  1681,  John,  26  June, 
1683.  He  died  15  Feb.  1701,  ag.  59. 

POORE,  JONATHAN  son  of  John,  m.  Rebecca  .  Daughter  Rebecca  b.  10 

Mav.  1703. 

POORE,  HENRY  son  of  John.  m.  Abigail  Hale  12  Sept.  1679.  Ch.— Abigail,  9 
Sept.  1680,  Henry.  31  Jan.  16S2,  Jeremiah,  10  Jan.  16S4,  Mary,  10  April,  1686,  Mary, 
20  Sept.  1687,  Hannah,  19  July.  1692,  Sarah,  18  Jan.  1694,  Benjamin,  1696,  Daniel, 
1700. 

POORE,  HENRY  jr.  of  Rowley,  m.  Mary  Holmes  1703. 

POORE,  SAMUEL  perhaps  a  brother  to  John,  sen.  m. .  Ch.— Rebecca,  7 

Feb.  1040,  Mary,  21  March,  1651,  Samuel,  14  Oct.  1653.  Edward,  27  May,  1656,  Eliz- 
abeth, 21  Jan.  1659,  Joseph,  10  June,  1661,  Sarah,  4  June,  1664.  Benjamin,  22  Feb. 
1667.  Mary,  -'I  Feb.  1671.  He  died  31  Dec.  1683,  aged  60. 

POORE,  JOSEPH  son  of  Samuel,  sen.  m.  Mary  Wallington  6  Aug.  1680.  Ch. — Jo- 
seph, 25  April,  1685,  Benjamin.  7  Nov.  1687,  Sarah,  12  May,  1690,  Mary,  12  Aug. 

1692,  Abigail,  1   Aug.  1695,  Hannah,  3  April,  1698,  John,  1   Aug.  1701,  Lydia,  14 
March,  1704. 

PGORE,  BENJAMIN,  son  of  Samuel,  sen.  m.  widow  Mary  Hardy  13  April,  1696. 

Ch.— Sarah.  6  Sept.  1697,  Ann,  31  Oct.  1700.     She  d.  8  Aug.  1707. 
POORE,  SAMUEL  son  of  Samuel,  sen.  m.  Rachel  Bailey  16  Feb.  1680.     Ch.— Re- 

be<?ca,  IS  Jan.  1681,  Samuel.  3  June,  1682,  and  d.  11  July,  1769,  aged  85,  Judith  d.  12 

Dec.  1683,  Sarah,  12  July,  1686,  Eleanor,  25  Dec.  1689,  Rebecca,  1  March.  1694. 
POORE,   EDWARD,  m.  Elizabeth .     Stephen,  20   April,  1688,  Elizabeth,  21 

March,  1690,  Joseph.  15  April,  1704. 
POORE.  JOSEPH  jun.  m.  Anna  Johnson  1698.  Ch.— Katherine.  18  Feb.  1699,  Joseph, 

b.  9  April,  1701. 

POORE,  SARAH  widow  of  John,  d.  3  Dec.  1702. 
PLUMER,  FRANCIS  '  linnen  weaver,'  came,  some  say  from  Woolwich,  Eng.  others 

from  Wales,  about  1633.     He  was  in  Newbury  1635.     His  first  wife  Ruth  d.  18  Aug. 

1647.     He  m.  widow  Ann  Palmer  31  March,  1648  or  9,  who  d.  18  Oct.  1665.     He  then. 

m.  Beatrice,  widow  of  William  Cantlebury,  of  Salem,  29  Nov.  1665.     He  d.  17  Jan. 

1073.     Ch.— Samuel,  b.  1619,  Joseph,  1630,  and  Mary,  who  m.  Cheney. 

PLUMER.  SAMUEL  son  of  Francis,  m.  Mary .     Ch.— Samuel,  20  April,  1647, 

Mary,  8  Feb.  1650,  John,  11  May,  1652,  Ephraim,  16  Sept.  1655,  Hannah,  16   Feb. 

1657,  Silvanus,  22  Feb.  1658,  Ruth,  7  Aug.  1660,  Elizabeth,  19  Oct.  1662,  Deborah, 

13  March,  1665,  Joshua,  Lydia,  2  July.  1668,  Bathshua,  31  July,  1670.     He  died  1702 

aged  S3, 
PLUMER.  JOSEPH  son  of  Francis,  m.  23  Dec.  1652.     Ch.— Joseph,  11   Sept.  1654, 

Benjamin,  23  Oct.  1656,  Sarah,  13  May,  1660,  Francis,  23  April,  1662,  and  d.  5  Dec. 

1663,  Francis,  25  Feb.  1664,  Nathaniel,  31  Jan.  1666,  Jonathan,  13  May.  1668,  Abigail, 

16  July,  1669,  and  d.  11  Dec.  1683. 
PLUMER,  EPHRAIM  son  of  Samuel,  m.  Hannah  Jaques  15  Jan.  1680.    Ch.— Mary, 

19  Feb.  1681,  Hannah,  12  Oct.  1682,  Samuel,  27  Oct.  1684,  Elizabeth,  21  Nov.  1686, 

John,  7  Nov.  1688,  Ruth,  5  Nov.  1690,  Daniel,  10  March.  1693,  Richard,  3  Aug.  1695, 

Bitfield,  12  June,  1697.  Sarah.  26  July,  1699,  Emma.  21  June,  1704. 
FLUMER,  SILVANUS  son  of  Samuel,  sen.  m.  Sarah  Moody  18  Jan.  1682.     Ch.— 

Mary,  22  Oct.  1683,  Samuel,  12  Nov.  1684,  and  d.  2  Aug.  1685,  Samuel,  Lydia.  Sarah, 

and  Benjamin. 
PLUMER,  JOSEPH  jun.  son  of  Joseph,  sen.  m.  Hannah  Swett  20  Jan.  1685.     Ch. — 

Samuel.  4  May,  1686,  Abigail,  11  Dec.  1687,  Miriam,  16  June,  1690,  Aaron,  16  Jan. 

1693,  Eleazer,  29  Jan.  1694.  Joseph,  12  Jan.  1695,  David,  16  March,  1696,  Sampson,  14 
March,  1699,  Hannah,  17  July,  1700,  Sarah,  17  April,  1702,  Deborah,  19  Dec.  1703, 
Eliphalet,  1  April,  1705. 

PLUMER,  JOSHUA  son  of  Samuel,  m.  Elizabeth  Dole  6  Nov.  1699.  Ch.— Samuel, 
3  Sept.  1700,  Stephen,  6  Dec.  1702,  Joshua,  22  Aug.  1705,  Nathaniel,  19  June,  1708, 
Enoch,  3  Dec.  1711.  Elizabeth,  22  March,  1716. 

PLUMER,  SAMUEL  son  of  Samuel,  sen.  m.  Joanna  Woodbery  5  Dec.  1670. 

PLUMER,  JOHN  of  Rowley,  m.  Elizabeth  Smith  1700. 

PLUMER,  FRANCIS  son  of  Joseph,  m.  Mary  Ellitrop.  Daughter  Mary  b.  15  May, 
1701. 

PLUMER.  JONATHAN  son  of  Joseph,  m.  Sarah  Pearson  16  June,  1696.  Ch.-John, 
23  -March,  1697,  Daniel,  7  Jan.  1699,  Mary,  6  Dec.  1701,  Jonathan,  14  Aug.  1705. 

PRICE,  WALTER  born  17  May,  1620,  lived  in  Salem. 

RANDALL.  WILLIAM  was  born  in  1618,  m.  Elizabeth 2  Oct.  1649.  Ch.— Eliz- 
abeth, 13  May,  1650,  William,  2  March,  1653,  John,  5  March,  1655,  Mary,  26  March, 
1656,  Hannah,  7  Jan.  1659. 


316  APPENDIX. 

RANDALL,  WILLIAM  jun.  m.  Rebecca ,  who  d.  18  Feb.  1677.     Son  Enoch  b. 

Dec.  1676. 
RAWSON,  MR.  EDWARD  came  from   Gillingham,  Dorselshirp,  was  in  Newbury 

about  1636  or  7,  and  removed  to  Boston  1650.     He  m.  Rachel  Perne.    Ch.— Edward, 

Rachel,  David,  6  May,  1644,  Perne,  1646,  Susan,  who  d.  in  Roxbury,  1654,   Gnndal, 

23  Jan.  1649,  William,  born  in  Boston.  1651,  Rebecca,  and  John.     He  d.  1693,  ag.  77. 
REMINGTON,  JOHN  was  in  Newbury,  1637,  thence  to  Andover  and   Rowley,  and 

finally  to  Roxbury  or  Boston.     His  wife's  name  was  Abigail. 
RICHARDS,  JOHN  m.  Hannah  Goodridge  22  March,  1694.  who  died  29  Jan.  1695. 

He  then  m.  Sarah  Cheney  16  July,  1696.     Ch.— Sarah,  13  Sept.  1697,  Mehetabel,  25 

June,  1699,  Sarah.  10  Feb.  1702. 
RICHARDSON,  WILLIAM  m.  Elizabeth  Wiseman  23  Aug.  1654.     He  d.  14  March, 

1658.     Ch.— Joseph,  18  May,  1655,  Benjamin.  13  March,  1657. 
RICHARDSON,  EDWARD  m. .     Ch.— Edward,  21  Dec.  1649,   Caleb,  18  Aug. 

1652,  Ruth,  23  Nov.  1655,  Moses,  4  April.  1658,  Mary,  2  Sept.  1660.     He  died  14  Nov. 

1685.  .  Another  .Edward  Richardson  died  25  March,  1655. 
RICHARDSON.  EDWARD  jr.  m.  Elizabeth  Hale  11  Dec.  1696. 
RICHARDSON,  EDWARD>un.  m.  Anne  Bartlet,  28  Oct.  1673.     Ch.— Mary,  25  Oct. 

1673,  and  d.  3  April,  1678.  Edward,  2  Sept,  1674,  Mary,  25  Aug.  1676,  Moses,  22  Jan. 

1680,  Margaret,  7  July,  .1682.     He  d.  14  Nov.  1682. 
RICHARDSON,  JOSEPH  m.  Margaret  Godfrey  12  July.  1681.     Ch.— Mary,  16  April, 

1682,  William.  22  March,  1,684,  Joseph,  31  Dec.  1686.  Elizabeth,  28  Feb.  1689.  Daniel, 

4  April,  1692.  Sarah,  19  June,  1694,  Thomas,  15  Feb.  1697,  Caleb,  9  June.  1704. 
RICHARDSON.  JOSHUA  m.  Mary  Parker  31  Jan.  1679,  who  died  7  March,  1685. 

He  then  m.  Jane .     Ch.— Esther,  15  March,  1683,  Judith,  25  June,  1688,  Hannah, 

9  Oct.  1690.  Abigail,  6  Aug.  1692,  Elizabeth,  4  Nov.  1694,  Joanna,  6  March,  1697, 

Joshua,  20  May,  1702. 
RICHARDSON,  CALEB  m.  Mary  Ladd  31  July,  1682.     Ch.— Mary,  12  Jan.  1685, 

Ruth,  1  March.  1683. 
RICHARDSON,  MR.  JOHN  m. .     Ch.— Sarah,  9  Sept.  1674,  Mary,  22  July,  1677, 

Elizabeth,  29  April,  1680,  Katharine,  15  Sept.  1681,  and  a  son  John. 
ROBINSON,  ROBERT  b.  1628,  m.  Mary  Silver  26  Oct.  1664.     Ch.— Mary.   18  Nov. 

1665,  Daniel,  9  Oct.  1667,  John,  12  Dec.  1669,  Samuel,  Thomas,  Sarah,  Hannah,  21 

Dec.  1683,  Robert,  5  May,  1686. 
ROBINSON.  JOHN  m.  Susanna  .     Ch.— John,  6  Sept.  1690,   Samuel,  2   Dec. 

1692,  Daniel,  14  March,  1695.     He  died  March,  1699. 
RIDGE,  JOHN  d.  30  Dec.  1666. 

ROB  BINS,  THOMAS  m.  Priscilla  Mallard  1703.     Son  Thomas  b.  12  March.  1704. 
ROGERS,  ROBERT  m.  Susanna ,  was  in  Newbury  in  1651.     He  died  23  Dec. 

1663.     Ch.— Robert,  28  April,  1650,  Thomas,  9  July,  1652,  John,  13  March,  1654, 

Susanna.  6  Feb.  1657,  Joshua,  1  Aug.  1658. 
ROGERS,  THOMAS  son  of  Robert,  m.  Ruth  Brown  18  May,  1677.     Ch.— Thomas, 

14  Aug.  167S,  Ruth,  16  April,  1680,  Susanna,  17  March,  1682,  Robert,  5  April,  1684, 

John,  11  July,  1686,  Isaac,  21  June,  1691,  Stephen,  20  Aug.  1693,  Daniel,  14  Nov.  1695, 

Jonathan,  18  June,  1702. 

ROGERS,  THOMAS  m.  Hannah  Long  IS  Aug.  1702. 
RAWLINS,  NICHOLAS  m.  Rebecca  Long  31  Oct.  1679.     Ch.— John.  1  Dec.  1680, 

Daniel,  21  March,  1682.  Mary,  10  April,  1683,  Joseph,  25  March,  1685,  Benjamin,  2 

March,  1687,  Rebekah,  1  Oct.  1689,  Martha,  5  Nov.  1692. 
RAWLINS,  JOHN  m.  Mary  Thomas,  of  Exeter,  9  Oct.  1702. 
ROLFE,  HENRY  son  of  Honour  Rolfe,  came  to  Newbury  among  the  first  settlers. 

He  d.  1  March,  1643.     His  only  son,  John,  died  before  him.     His  grandson  Benjamin 

was  born  in  1640. 
ROLFE,  JOHN  brother  to  Henry,  m.  Mary  Scullard  4  Dec.  1656.     Ch.— Mary,  16 

Jan.  1660,  Rebecca,  9  Feb.  1662,  Mary,  2  Nov.  and  d.  10  Dec.  1658.     He  d.  8  Feb. 

1664. 
ROLFE,  SAMUEL  m.  Sarah  Jepson  of  Cambridge,  1699.     Son  Samuel,  16  Aug. 

1703. 
ROLFE,  BENJAMIN  m.  Apphia 3  Nov.  1659,  who  d.  24  Dec.  1708.     He  died 

Aug.  1710.     Ch.— John,  12   Oct.  1660,  Benjamin,  13   Sept.  1662,  Apphia,  8  March, 

1667,  Mary,  16  Sept.  1669,  Samuel.  14  Jan.  1672,  Mary,  11  Nov.  1674,  and  d.  18  June, 

1677,  Henry,  12  Oct.  1677,  Elizabeth,  15  Dec.  1679,  Nathaniel,  12  Nov.  IGbl.  Abigail, 

5  May,  1684. 

ROLFE,  JOHN  m.  Dorothy .     Son  John  b.  24  March,  1691,  Jonathan,  2  Aug.  1695. 

ROLFE,  JOHN  d.  30'Sept.  1681. 

RUSS,  JOHN  born  in  1611,  came  early  to  Newbury,  thence  to  Andover  in  1645,  where 

he  d.  1692.    Ch.— John,  24  June,  1641,  Mary,  16  Feb.  1644,  Jonathan.  Thomas,  Josiah, 

and  Joseph. 


APPENDIX.  317 

SADLER,  ANTHONY  had  a  son  Abiel  b.  2  Nov.  1050. 
SALMON.  WILLIAM  m.  Anne  Webster  29  Sept,  1700. 

SAMPSON.  JONATHAN  in.  Mary  Chandler  lONov.1005.     SonJohnb.17  Aug.  1606. 
SAMPSON.  WILLIAM  m.  Christian  F.lwell.  of  Gloucester.  1702. 
SAUNDERS,  JOHN  born  in  1G25.  in  Weeks,  county  of  Wiltshire,  was  in  Newbury  in 
1045.      Ch.— Snrah.  20  Aug.  1047.  Mary.  12  June,  1649,  Abigail,  12  April.  1051,  Joseph, 

1053.  and  (1.  105-1.  Elizabeth,  26  Jan.  1655. 

SAVORY.  ROBERT  m.  widow  Mary  Mitt-hell  8  Dec.   1G56.     Ch.— Sarah,  12  Nov. 

1657,  William  15  Sept.  1650,  Samuel,  18  March,  1662,  Rebecca,  20  Jan.  1664,  Robert, 

8  Aug.  1066. 
SARGENT,  WILLIAM  one  of  the  twelve  men  who  settled  Ipswich  in  1633,  thence 

to  Newbury,  thence  to  Amesbury  in  1643,  where  he  died  about  1675,  aged  73.     Ch. — 

Thomas,  William.  Mary,  and  Elizabeth. 
SA  YER,  now  SAWYER,  WILLIAM  was  in  Wenharri  1643,  thence  to  Newbnry.     He 

m.  Ruth .     Ch. — John.  24  Aus:.  1645.  Samuel,  22  Nov.  1646,  Ruth,  16  Sept.  1648, 

Bitfield. .  Mary,  7  Feb.  1650,  and  d.  1659,  Sarah,  20  Nov.  1651,  Hannah,  23  Feb. 

1054,  and  d.  1600.  William,  1  Feb.  1656,  Francis.  24  March,  1658,  and  d.  7  Feb.  1660, 
Mary.  29  July,  1060'.  Stephen,  25  April,  1663,  Hannah,  11  Jan.  1665,  and  d.  2S  Aug. 
1683,  Francis.  3  Nov.  1670. 

SAWYER,  WILLIAM  son  of  William,  m.  Mary  Emery  10  March,  1671.  Ch.— Mary, 
20  Jan.  1672,  Samuel,  5  June.  1674,  John,  15  March,  1676,  Ruth,  20  Sept.  1677,  Han- 
nah, 12  Jan.  1679,  Josiah,  20  Jan.  1681. 

SAWYER.  JOHN  son  of  William,  m.  Sarah  Poore  18  Feb.  1676.  Ch.— Ruth,  Sept. 
1677.  William,  29  April.  1679,  Sarah,  20  May,  1681,  John,  25  April,  1683.  Jonathan, 
4  March,  1685,  Daniel,  13  Jan.  1687,  John.  10  Sept.  1688,  and  died  19  March,  1689, 
John,  d.  30  May,  1689,  aged  44. 

SAWYER,  STEPHEN  son  of  William,  m.  Ann .  Ch.— Ann,  1  Aug.  1687,  Dan- 
iel. 28  Jan.  1689,  Enoch,  22  June,  1694. 

SAWYER,  JOHN  m.  Mary  Merrill  25  Dec.  1700. 

SAW7 YER.  WILLIAM  m.'Lydia  Webster  7  Jan.  1703.  Daughter  Elizabeth  b.  1  Oct. 
1702. 

SA  RGENT,  CAPT.  EDWARD  m.  Elizabeth .     Ch.— Edward  and  Ebenezer.  b. 

at  Saco.  2  Dec.  1684,  Nathaniel, .Saco.  16  Jan.  1687,  Elizabeth.  Portsmouth,  3  Oct. 
1689,  Elisha,  24  Oct.  1695,  Rachel,  10  Oct.  1698,  Ichabod,  5  Aug.  1701,  Abigail.  26 
June,  1704. 

SEERS.  THOMAS  m.  Mary  Hilton,  alias  Downer,  11  Dec.  1656.  Ch.— Mary,  30  Oct. 
1057.  Rebecca,  5  Nov.  1661.  He  d.  26  May,  1061. 

SEWALL,  HENRY  sen.  b:  in  Coventry  in  1576,  m.  Anne  Hunt,  came  to  Newbury, 
and  in  1646  removed  to  Rowley,  where  he  died  March,  1657,  in  his  81st  year.  He 
had  one  son.  Henry,  jun. 

SEWALL.  HENRY  jr.  only  son  of  Henry  Sewall  of  Coventry,  Eng.  came  to  Ipswich 
1034,  Newbury  1635.  m.  miss  Jane,  daughter  of  Stephen  Dummer,  25  March,  1646, 
who  d.  13  Jan.  1701,  aged  74.  He  died  16  May,  1700,  aged  86.  Ch.— Hannah,  10 
May,  1649,  Samuel,  28  March.  1652.  John,  10  Oct.  1654.  Stephen,  19  Aug.  1657,  Jane, 
25  Oct.  1659.  Ann,  3  Sept.  1662,  Mehetabel,8  May,  1665.  Dorothy,  29  Oct.  1668.  The 
last  three  were  born  in  Newbury,  the  others  in  England. 

SEWALL.  MR.  JOHN  son  of  Henry,  m.  Hannah  Fessenden,  of  Cambridge,  27  Oct. 
1674.  He  died  9  Aug.  1699,  aged  45.  Ch.— Hannah,  21  Dec.  1675/and"  d.  4  July, 
1677,  Hannah,  26  Dec.  1677,  John,  10  April,  1680,  Henry.  7  Sept.  1682,  Steven,  17 
Jan.  1684.  Samuel,  9  April,  1688,  Nicholas.  1  June,  1690,  Thomas,  5  March,  1693. 

SCULL  A  RD,  SAMUEL  an  early  settler,  m.  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Richard  Kent,  and 
d.  1647.  Ch.— Mary.  9  Jan.  1642,  Rebekah,  4  Feb.  1644,  Sarah,  18  June,  1645,  Martha 
Scullard  d.  6  March.  1645. 

SH  ATS  WELL,  RICHARD  of  Ipswich,  m.  Eleanor  Cheney  17  Dec.  1696.  Son  Rich- 
ard b.  1  Feb.  1098. 

SHORT.  ANTHONY  Ipswich  1634,  Newbury  1635.     He  d.  childless  4  April,  1670. 

SHORT,  HENRY  brother  to  Anthony,  m.  Elizabeth ,  \vhod  22  March,  1648.     He 

m.  a  second  wife.  Sarah  Glover.  9  Oct.  1648.  Ch.— Sarah,  18  Dec.  1649.  Henry,  11 
March.  1652,  John,  31  Oct.  1653,  and  d.  1654.  Sarah,  28  Jan.  1660.  He  died  5  May 
liw.3.  / 

SHORT,  HENRY  son  of  Henry,  m.  Sarah  Whipple  30  March,  1674,  who  d.  28  Dec. 

1691.     He  m.  Anne  Longfellow  11  May,  1692.     He  d.  23  Oct.  1706,  a^ed   54.     Ch. 

Henry,  22  Aug.  1675.  Sarah,  1  Aug.  1677,  John.  14  Dec.  1679,  and  d.  1684,  Hannah.  28 
March.  1682,  John,  13  Oct.  168-3.  Matthew,  14  March,  1688,  Lydia.  7  May,  1690,  and 
d.  1691,  Jane.  4  March,  1693.  Samuel.  18  Nov.  1694,  and  d.  1698,  Mehetabel,  12  Jan. 
1693,  Samuel.  16  Feb.  andd.  March.  1098,  Samuel,  22  Feb.  1699,  Hannah,  2  March, 
and  d.  April,  1701,  Joseph,  8  April,  1702. 


318  APPENDIX. 

SILVER.,  THOMAS  Ipswich  1637,  then  Newbury.  His  second  wife,  Katharine  C— , 
he  m.  IS  Aug.  1649,  who  d.  23  July,  1665.  He  died  6  Sept.  1682.  Ch.— Mary,  1645, 
Elizabeth  and  Martha,  14  March,  1651,  Thomas,  26  March,  1653,  and  d.  1656,  Thom- 
as, 26  March,  1658,  John,  24  Aug.  1660,  Samuel,  16  Feb.  1662,  Hannah  and  Sarah,  18 
Oct.  1655. 

SILVER.  THOMAS  born  in  1632,  m.  Mary  Willliams  4  Jan.  1682, and  d.  1695.  Daugh- 
ter Sarah  b.  2  Oct.  1682. 

SIMMONS,  SAMUEL  was  killed  with  the  fall  of  a  horse,  18  June,  1682. 

SLOWMAN.  SVMON,  son  of  Symon  and  Hannah,  b.  14  July,  1691. 

SINGLETERRY,  RICHARD  was  born  in  15S5,  was  in  Salem  1638,  thence  to  New- 
bury, Salisbury,  and  Haverhill.  He  d.  25  Oct.  1687,  in  his  102d  year.  He  had  a  son 
John,  and  perhaps  others. 

SMITH.  THOMAS  weaver,  from  Romsey,  England,  came  to  Newbury,  1638,  from 
Ipswich.  His  wife  was  Rebecca.  Ch. — Thomas,  1639,  and  drowned  in  1648,  Dec. 
6,  Rebecca,  20  Feb.  1640,  James,  10  Sept.  1645,  John,  9  March,  1648,  Matthias,  27  Oct. 
1652,' Thomas,  7  July,  1654,  and  was  killed  by  the  Indians  at  Bloody  Brook,  in  1676. 
Thomas  Smith,  sen.  d.  22  April.  1666.  A  Thomas  Smith  d.  14  May,  1653.  Another 
Thomas  Smith  had  a  son  John,  b.  14  Sept.  1668. 

SMITH,  LIEUT.  JAMES  son  of  Thomas,  m.  Sarah  Coker  26  July,  1667.  He  was 
drowned  at  An ticosti  Oct.  1690.  Ch.— Sarah.  12  Sept.  1668,  James,  16  Oct.  1670, 
Thomas,  9  March,  1673,  Hannah,  23  March,  1675,  Joseph,  8  June,  and  d.  19  July,  1677, 
John,  1  Nov.  1678,  Samuel,  31  Jan.  1680,  Benjamin,  21  Aug.  1681,  Mary,  27  Feb.  1684, 
and  d.  15  Dec.  1685. 

SMITH,  JAMES  son  of  James,  m.  Jane .  Ch.— James,  25  Nov.  1696,  Sarah,  21 

June,  1699.  Mary,  23  May,  1701,  Hannah,  1  March.  1704. 

SMITH,  RICHARD  m.  Mary  Chandler,  17  Oct.  1666. 

SMITH,  JOHN  m.  Rebecca  Poore  26  Nov.  1667.  Ch.— John,  14  Sept.  and  d.  14  Oct. 
1668,  Rebecca,  1  Aug.  1669,  John,  20  Oct.  1671,  and  d.  31  Aug.  1677,  Mary,  29  Dec. 
1673,  John,  17  March,  1678,  Samuel,  31  Jan.  1680,  and  d.  Nov.  1685,  Josiah,  28  March, 
1687,  Hannah,  27  Jan.  1690,  Dorothy,  20  Aug.  1692. 

SOMERBY,  ANTHONY  schoolmaster,  son  of  Richard,  who  was  son  of  Henry  Som- 
erby  of  Little  Bytham,  in  Lincolnshire,  came  to  Newbury,  in  1639,  in  the  ship  Jona- 
than. His  wife  Abigail  d.  3  June,  1673.  He  d.  31  July,  1686,  aged  76.  Abiel,  his 
only  child,  was  born  8  Sept.  1641. 

SOMERBY,  ABIEL  son  of  Anthony,  m.  Rebecca,  daughter  of  deac.  Richard  Knight, 
13  Nov.  1661.  He  died  27  Dec.  1671.  aged  30  years.  Ch.— Henry,  13  Nov.  1662, 
Abiel,  20  Dec.  1664,  Abiel,  24  Aug.  1667,  Abigail,  25  Jan.  1670,  Anthony  and  Rebecca, 
7  June,  1672. 

SOMERBY,  HENRY  son  of  Abiel,  m.  Mary  Moody,  26  June,  1683. 

SOMERBY,  ABIEL  son  of  Abiel,  m.  Jane  Brocklebank,  26  Jan.  1693.  Ch.— John,  7 
July,  1693,  Sarah,  23  Jan.  and  d.  8  March,  1695,  Sarah,  12  Feb.  1696,  Jane,  S  Dec.  1698, 
Abiel,  3  Jan.  1702. 

SOMERBY,  ANTHONY  son  of  Abiel,  m.  Elizabeth  Heard,  of  Ipswich,  1696.  Ch.— 
Elizabeth,  28  March,  1699,  Anthony,  12  March,  and  d.  22,  1700,  Abiel,  b.  in  Feb.  and 
d.  in  March,  1703,  Elizabeth,  29  June.  1704. 

SOMERBY,  HENRY  brother  to  Anthony,  sen.  m.  Judith,  daughter  of  capt.  Edmund 
Greenleaf.  He  d.  2  Oct.  1652.  His  widow  m.  Tristram  Coffin.  Ch.— Sarah,  10  Feb. 
1645,  Elizabeth,  Nov.  1646,  John,  24  Dec.  1648,  and  d.  14  Dec.  1650,  Daniel,  IS  Nov. 
1650,  and  d.  in  the  army  in  1676. 

SNELLING,  DR.  WILLIAM  came  from  Chaddlewood,  county  of  Devon.  He  m. 

in  September,  1646.  In  1648,  July  5,  'he  m.  Margaret,  eldest  daughter  of 

Giles  Stagge.  of  Southwark,  Barnaby  street,  at  the  sign  of  the  Christopher.'  Ch. — 
William,  24  June,  16.49,  Ann,  2  March,  1652.  He  removed  to  Boston  about  1654,  and 
there  died. 

SPENCER,  MR.  JOHN  came  from  London  to  Ipswich  in  1634,  thence  to  Newbury, 
in  1635.  He  died  in  England  about  1650.  In  his  will  he  mentions  nephew  John 
Spencer,  brother  Thomas  Spencer,  and  cousin  Ann  Knight.  His  nephew  and  heir, 
John  Spencer,  sold  his  farm  to  his"  uncle,  Daniel  Pierce,  in  1651. 

SQUIRE,  PHILIP  m.  Mary .     His  son  Thomas  b.  31  Oct.  1694. 

STAPLES,  THOMAS  m.  Elizabeth .     His  daughter  Mary  b.  6  Jan.  1702. 

STEVENS,  WILLIAM  m.  Elizabeth 19  May,  1645.  He  died  19  May,  1653.  Ch. 

—Bitfield,  b.  16  March,  1649,  John,  19  Nov.  1650,  Samuel,  18  Nov.  1652. 

STEVENS,  JOHN  came  early  to  Newbury,  thence  to  Andover  in  1645,  where  he  died, 
April,  1662.  Ch.— John,  20  June,  1639,  Timothy,  23  Sept.  1641,  Nathan,  Joseph, 
Ephraina,  and  Benjamin. 

STEVENS,  THOMAS  m.  Martha  Bartlet  15  April.  1672.  A  Thomas  Stevens  m. 
Mary  Mighill  13  Oct.  1681. 


APPENDIX.  319 

STEVENS,  JOHN  m.  Mary  Chase  March  9, 1670.  Ch.— Mary,  6  Feb.  1671,  Thomas, 
3  July,  1676. 

STEVENS,  widow  ANN  died  July,  1650. 

STICKNEY,  AMOS  son  of  WiUiam,  a  native  of  Hull,  England,  came  to  Boston, 
thence  to  Rowley,  thence  to  Newbury,  and  m.  Sarah  Morse  24  June,  1663.  He  d.  29 
Aug.  167S.  Ch.— John,  23  June,  1666,  Andrew,  Dec.  1657,  Amos,  3  Aug.  1669,  Joseph, 
14  April,  1671,  Benjamin,  4  April,  1673.  d.  5  Mar.  1756,  Sarab,  19  Oct.  1674,  and  d. 
1675,  Hannah.  31  March,  1676.  Moses.  26  Nov.  1677. 

STICKXEY,  JOHN  son  of  Amos,  m.  Mary  Poor  10  Dec.  1689.  Ch.— Mary,  1  July, 
1691.  John,  30  July,  1693,  Sarah,  Sept.  1698,  Joseph,  19  Dec.  1700. 

STICKNEY.  ANDREW  son  of  Amos,  m.  Rebecca ,  who  died  30  Jan.   1693. 

Daughter  Rebecca  b.  16  Jan.  1693. 

STEWART  or  STUART,  DUNCAN  ship  builder,  m. .     He  removed  to 

Rowley  prior  to  1680,  and  was  the  ship  builder  in  that  place.  He  d.  1717,  aged  100. 
Ch. — Martha.  4  April,  1659.  Charles,  5  June,  1661,  James,  8  Oct.  1664,  Henry,! 
May,  1669,  all  born  in  Newbury.  and  three  others  born  in  Rowley. 

STUART,  JAMES  son  of  Duncan,  m.  Elizabeth  .     Ch.— James,  29  July,  1688, 

Charles,  16  Jan.  1690. 

STUART.  JOHN  m.  Elizabeth .  who  d.  20  Dec.  1689.     Daughter  Elizabeth  b. 

11  Dec.  1689. 

SUTTON.  WILLIAM  m.  Mary  Gaffell  27  Oct.  1679.     He  d.  7  May,  1690. 

SWETT,  STEVEN  cordwainer,  was  born  in  1620,  m.  Hannah  Merrill  24  May,  1647, 
who  d.  4  April,  1662.  He  then  m.  Rebecca  Smith  4  Aug.  1663,  who  d.  1  March, 
1670.  Gh.— John.  20  Oct.  1648,  and  d.  13  Jan.  1652,  Steven,  20  Aug.  and  24  Sept. 
1650,  Hannah,  7  Oct.  1651,  Steven,  25  Jan.  1654.  Elizabeth.  16  Jan.  1656,  Joseph,  28 
Nov.  1657.  Man-.  17  March,  1662.  Benjamin.  20  May.  1664,  Rebecca,  4  Dec.  1665.  and 
d.  31  May,  1666,  Rebecca,  27  Feb.  1670. 

SWETT,  widow  PHEBE  d.  May,  1665. 

SWETT,  SARAH  d.  11  Dec.  1650. 

SWETT,  JOSEPH  m. 1650. 

SWETT,  JOHN  son  of  Steven,  m.  Mary  Plumer  6  Dec.  1670.  Ch.— Mary,  10  April, 
1672,  Hannah,  15  June,  1674,  John,  20  Feb.  1677,  Samuel,  10  Sept.  1680, 'Steven,  27 
Jan.  1684,  Joseph,  2  Feb.  1687,  Benjamin.  11  April,  16S8. 

SWETT,  JOHN  jr.  m.  Susanna  Page.     His  son  John  b.  31  Dec.  1699. 

SWETT,  CAPT.  BENJAMIN  m.  Hester,  sister  of  Nathaniel  Weare,  Nov.  1647.  who 
m.  ensign  Steven  Greenleaf  31  March,  1679,  and  d.  16  Jan.  1718,  aged  89.  Ch. — 
Hester,  7  June,  1648,  Sarah,  7  Nov.  1650,  Mary,  7  Jan.  1652,  Mary,  2  May,  1654, 
Benjamin,  5  Aug.  1656,  Joseph,  21  Jan.  1659,  Moses,  16  Sept.  1661.  Prior  to  1664,  he 
moved  tcr  Hampton,  and  had  five  other  children.  '  He  was  slain  at  Black  Point  by 
the  barbarous  Indians  29  June,  1677.' 

SYLE,  MR.  RICHARD  m.  Hannah  Scott  Aug.  1697. 

TE  WKSBURY,  HENRY  m. .     Ch.— Hannah,  1  Sept.  1662,  Henry,  15  Dec. 

1664,  Naomi,  18  Jan.  1667.  Ruth,  10  March,  1669. 

TOMPSON,  MR,  EDWARD  m.  Sarah .     Ch.— Samuel.  1   Sept.  1691,  Edward, 

14  May,  1695. 

THOMPSON,  SYMON  m.  Rachel  Glover  21  Aug.  1656. 

TILLOTSON,  JOHN  m.  Dorcas  Colman,  sister  of  Thomas  Colman,  14  July,  1648, 
who  d.  1  Jan.  1655.  He  m.  Jane  Evans  24  May,  1655.  Ch. — Maiy,  13  Feb.  1650, 
John,  21  Feb.  1651.  James,  19  Dec.  1652,  Philadelphia,  28  Sept.  1656",  Joseph,  11  Jan. 
1658,  Jonathan.  6  July,  1659. 

TITCOMB,  WILLIAM  came  early  to  Newbury,  m.  Joanna  Bartlet,  daughter  of 
Richard,  sen.  He  also  m.  Elizabeth  Stevens  3  March,  1654.  He  d.  24  Sept.  1676. 
Ch.— Sarah,  22  June,  1640,  Hannah,  8  Jan.  1642,  Mary.  17  Feb.  1644,  Milla,  7  June, 
1646,  William,  IS  March,  i648.  andd.  2  June,  1659,  Peniel,  16  Dec.  1650,  Benaiah,  28 
June,  1653,  Elizabeth,  12  Dec.  1654,  Rebecca,  1  April,  1656,  Tirzah,  21  Feb.  1658, 
William.  14  Aug.  1659,  Thomas,  11 -Oct.  1661,  Lydia,  13  June,  1663,  John,  17  Sept 
1664,  Ann,  7  June.  1666. 

TITCOMB.  MILLESENT  d.  20  Jan.  1664. 

TITCOMB,  PENUEL  son  of  William,  m.  Lydia  Poore  8  Jan.  1684.  Ch.— Sarah,  22 
Dec.  1684,  Sarah,  14  Dec.  1685.  William,  8  April,  1687.  John,  24  Sept.  1689. 

TITCOMB.  BENAIAH  son  of  "William,  m.  Sarah  Browne  24  Dec.  1678.  Ch.— Be- 
naiah, 24  Oct.  1679,  Joseph,  25  Jan.  1681,  Edmund,  9  Dec.  1682,  Sarah,  2  March 
1688.  Joseph,  2  April,  1691,  Enoch,  1  April,  1695,  Mary,  17  Feb  1698. 

TITCOMB,  WILLIAM  son  of  William,  m.  Ann  Cottle  15  May,  1683.  Ch.— Jedidiah, 
17  Jan.  1684,  Joanna,  15  July.  1686.  Daniel,  22  April,  1691,  Sarah,  17  Dec.  1693,  Elias, 
27  Feb.  1696,  Joseph  and  Benjamin,  30  March,  1698,  Moses,  19  June,  1700.  Joanna  3 
Sept.  1702. 


320  APPENDIX. 

TIT  COMB.  THOMAS,  son  of  William,  m.  Mary  Dam  30  Nov.  1093.  Ch.— Hannah, 
5  Sept.  1095.  Judith,  30  July.  1098.  Mary,  17  Aug.  1700,  Anne.  27  Jan.  1703. 

TOPPAN.  ABRAHAM  cooper,  came  to  Newbury  in  1037,  m.  Susanna  Gnodale  of 
Yarmouth.  England,  who  d.  20  March,  1GS9.  Me  d.  5  Nov.  1072.  nged  04.  Ch.— Pe- 
ter, b.  in  1034,  Abraham.  104  1,  Jacob,  1045,  Susanna,  13  June,  1049",  John,  23  April, 
1651.  Isaac,  Elizabeth.  10  Oct.  1005. 

TOPPAN,  DR.  PETER  son  of  Abraham,  m.  Jane,  daughter  of  Mr.  Christopher  Ehtt, 
3  April,  1001.  Ch.— Peter,  Dec.  1002.  Elizibeth.  10  Oct.  1005,  Peter,  22  Dec.  1007, 
Samuel.  5  June  1070,  Christopher,  15  Dec.  1071,  Jane,  4  Jar..  1074. 

TOPPAN,  ABRAHAM  son   of  Abraham,  m.  Ruth  Pike.     He  d.  1704,  without  issue. 

TOPPAN,  JACOB  son  of  Abraham,  m.  Hannah  Sewall  24  Aug.  1070.  who  d.  11  Nov. 
1099.  He  d.  13  Dec.  1717.  Ch.— Jacob,  20  May,  1071.  Samuel,  30  Sept.  1072.  and  d. 
25  Auir.  1091,  Jane,  28  Sept.  1074.  John,  29  Jan.  1077,  Hannah,  4  March,  1079,  Eliza- 
beth. 20  Dec.  1080,  Abraham,  29  June,  1084.  Ann,  10  M.iy,  1680. 

TOPPAN,  JOHN  sen.  son  of  Abraham,  m.  Martha  .  He  was  wounded  by  the 

Indians  at  Bloody  Brook  in  1076,  and  d.  in  Salisbury  20  Dec.  1723,  aged  72,  leaving  a 
son  James,  b.  15  March,  1702. 

TOPPAN,  JACOB  jr.  son  of  Jacob,  m.  Sarah  Kent,  1696.  Ch.— Sarah,  23  Sept.  1697, 
Hannah.  23  Nov.  1699,  Samuel,  6  Jan.  1702. 

TOPPAN.  PETER  jun.  m.  Sarah  Greenleaf28  April,  1696.  Ch.— Peter  and  Timothy, 
2  Feb.  .1698.  Jane,  24  Jan.  1700,  Elizabeth,  25  April,  1702. 

TOPPAN,  SAMUEL  son  of  Peter,  sen.  m.  Abigail  Wigglesworth  in  1702.  Son  Sam- 
uel. 24  Nov.  1702. 

TOPPAN,  MR.  CHRISTOPHER  son  of  Peter,  sen.  m.  Mrs.  Sarah  Angier,  of  Cam- 
bridge, whod.  20  Feb.  1739,  in  her  64th  year.  He  died  23  July.  1747,  in  his  76th  year. 
Ch.— Christopher,  24  Feb.  1700,  Edmund,  7  Dec.  1701,  Bezaleel,  7  March,  1705. 

THOMAS,  WILLIAM  an  early  settler,  m.  Susanna,  widow  of  Robert  Rogers,  8  March, 
1666,  who  d.  29  March,  1677.  He  died  without  issue  30  Sept.  1099,  aged  80. 

THORLA,  RICHARD  came  from  Rowley  to  Newbury,  1651.  His  wife  Jane  d.  19 
March,  1684.  He  d.  10  Nov.  1685.  Ch.— Francis  b.  1630,  Thomas,  1632. 

THORLA,  FRANCIS  son  of  Richard,  m.  Anne  Morse  5  Feb.  1655.  He  died  26  Nov. 
1703,  aged  73.  Ch.— Elizabeth,  3  June,  1056.  Mary,  14  May,  1058,  and  d.  26  Aug. 
1659,  John,  25  March,  1660,  Jonathan,  14  March,  1662,  a  son  and  daughter,  20  July, 
1664,  Richard,  25  Nov.  1665,  Thomas  and  Francis,  20  April,  1609. 

THORLA,  THOMAS  son  of  Richard,  m.  Judith  March  1070,  who  d.  11  July,  1689. 
He  d.  23  June,  1713,  aged  82.  Ch.— George,  12  March,  1671,  Simon,  20  Feb.  1673, 
and  d.  4  July,  1690,  a  daughter,  13  Dec.  1675,  Judith,  d.  29  July,  1077,  Judith,  12  Nov. 
1679,  Mary,  1  May,  16S2,  Judith,  14  April,  1685. 

THORLA.  JONATHAN  son  of  Francis,  m.  Mary  Merrill  22  Dec.  1685,  who  d.  11  Oct. 
1703.  He  d.  22  Sept.  1703.  Ch.— Elizabeth,  20  Nov.  1686,  Abraham,  20  Oct.  1688, 
Francis,  20  April,  1692,  Richard,  20  June,  1694.  Abigail,  10  Feb.  1696,  Mary,  1  July, 
1698,  Jonathan,  29  August,  1699,  Prudence,  4  Sept.  1701,  John,  4  March,  1703. 

THORLA,  GEORGE,  son  of  Thomas,  m.  Mary .  He  d.  17  Jan.  1714.  Ch.— 

Judith,  6  Sept.  1696,  Mary,  11  April,  1699. 

THORLA,  JOHN  son  of  Francis,  m.  Sarah  How.  2  March,  1685.  Ch.— Mary,  10  Feb. 
1087,  Sarah,  3  Oct.  1689,  Anne,  29  Feb.  1692,  and  d.  11  Sept.  1703.  Lydia,  20  Aug. 
1695,  Bethia,  3  March.  1698,  Hannah.  9  Sept.  1701. 

THRESHER,  ARTHUR  m.  Mary  Goodridge,  21  April,  1684.  Daughter  Dorothy,  4 
Feb.  1692. 

THURSTON,  DANIEL  sen.  an  early  settler,  m.  Anne  Lightfoot  29  Aug.  1648,  for  his 
second  wife,  his  first  wife  having  died  25  May.  1648.  He  d.  16  Feb.  1666,  without 
issue,  leaving  his  estate  to  his  '  kinsman.  Daniel  Thurston.' 

THURSTONrDANIELjun.  m.  Anne  Pell,  20  Oct.  1655.  He  died  19  Feb.  1693.  Ch. 
— Daniel,  2  July,  and  d.  3  Nov.  1659.  Hannah,  20  Jan.  1659,  Danir1,  18  Dec.  1661,  Sa- 
rah, 8  Jan.  1664,  Stephen,  25  Oct.  1665,  Joseph,  14  Sept.  1067.  Anne.  6  Sept.  1669, 
James,  24  Sept.  1670,  Stephen.  25  Oct.  1672,  Stephen,  5  Feb.  1674,  Abigail,  17  March, 
1078.  ' 

THURSTON,  JAMES  son  of  Daniel,  m.  Mary .  Ch.— Hannah,  15  Nov.  1694, 

and  d.  8  Nov.  1701,  Dorcas,  20  Oct.  1696,  Abrier,  28  Feb.  1099.  Phebe,  20  June,  1702. 

THURSTON.  DANIEL  jr.  son  of  Daniel,  m.  Mary  .  Ch.— Daniel,  26  June, 

1.090.  John,  12  June,  1692,  Mary,  7  Jan.  1094,  Benjamin,  4  May,  1695,  Hannah,  20  Jan. 
I'fiOS.  Martha.  27  Nov.  1700,  Jonathan,  16  March,  1701. 

THURSTON.  JOSEPH  son  of  Dxniel,  m.  Mehetabel  Kimball  1695. 

TRAVERS,  HENRY  an  early  settler,  m.  Bridget  .  Ch.— Sarah,  1636,  James, 

28  April.  1645. 

TRUE  WORTHY  or  TREWORGY,  MR.  JOHN  m.  Mrs.  P Spencer  15  Jan. 

1646.  Son  John  b.  12  Aug.  1649.  He  removed  to  Saco. 


APPENDIX.  321 

TROTTER,  WILLIAM  m.  Cutbury  Gibbs  9  Dec.  1652.  Ch.— Mary,  22  Jan.  1653, 
Rebecca,  5  July,  1655,  Samuel,  5  June,  1657,  Abigail,  1  Feb.  1664.  Sarah,  3  May,  1665. 

TUCKER,  MR.  JOHN  m.  Mary  Richardson  11  July,  1670.  Ch.— Mary,  13  May,  1677. 
Mary,  25  Jan.  1679,  Richard,  9  March,  1681,  John,  29  July,  1683. 

TURRILL;  THOMAS  tanner,  d.  22  May,  1677.  Judith  his  wife  d.  11  July,  1689.  He 
left  no  issue. 

WAKE  FIELD,  WILLIAM  Hampton  1639,  came  to  Newbury  in  1646. 

WALLINGTON,  seaman,  m.  Sarah  Travers  30  Aug.  1654.  He  was  taken  captive  at 
sea  and  never  returned  home.  Ch. — John.  16  Sept.  1655,  and  d.  6  Jan.  1656,  Nicholas, 
2  Jan.  1657.  John,  7  April,  1659,  Sarah,  20  May,  1661,  Mary,  29  August,  1663,  James, 
6  Oct.  1665,  Hannah,  27  Nov.  1667,  William,  7  Feb.  1670. 

WARRANT.  JOHN  d.  28  Oct.  1666. 

WARHAM.  WILLIAM  sometimes  Worm,  b.  1654,  m.  Hannah  Adams  10  Feb.  1682. 
Son  Paul,  b.  2  Oct.  1683. 

WARNER,  DOROTHY  d.  12  Nov.  16S9. 

WASS,  MR.  THOMAS  schoolmaster,  d.  18  May,  1691. 

WATSON.  WILLIAM  m.  Sara  Perley  6  Dec.  1670. 

WEARE,  PETER  d.  12  Oct.  1653.  / 

WEARE,  NATHANIEL  m.  Elizabeth  Swain  3  Dec.  1656.  Ch.— Nathaniel,  5  Jan. 
1658,  Peter.  5  Nov.  1660,  and  six  others  born  in  Hampton,  whither  he  removed  about 
1663.  He  d.  13  May,  1718,  aged  nearly  87. 

WEBSTER,  JOHN  son  of  John  of  Ipswich  was  born  1632,  came  to  Newbury  with 
his  mother  and  brothers,  m.  Anna  Batt  13  June,  1653.  Ch. — John,  11  Feb.  1656,  Ma- 
ry, 29  March,  1658,  Sarah,  1  July,  1659,  Abigail,  16  March,  1662.  Lucy,  19  Dec.  1664, 
Mary,  24  May,  1667,  Stephen,  8  "May,  1669,  Anna,  7  Sept.  1671,  Nicholas,  19  Oct.1673, 
Jonathan.  2l'May,  1676. 

WEBSTER.  ISRAEL  brother  to  John,  was  born  in  1624,  m.  Elizabeth  Brown  3  Jan. 
1666,  who  d.  10  Oct.  1668.  He  d.  7  Dec.  1683.  Ch.— Elizabeth.  7  Oct.  1668,  Anna, 
July,  1672,  Joseph,  15  March,  1676,  and  d.  2  May,  16S9,  Mary,  18  May,  1679,  Lydia, 
20  Dec.  1681.  His  second  wife,  Elizabeth  Lunt,  he  married  9  Nov.  1669,  who  d.  3 
Aug.  16S8. 

WEBSTER,  STEVEN  probably  son  of  John,  m.  Sarah  Clark,  1  Nov.  1698.  Ch.— Jo- 
anna and  Sarah,  10  Dec.  1701. 

WEBSTER.  MARY  d.  4  May,  1658. 

WELLS,  THOMAS  m.  Sara  Browne  1696.     Ch.— Sarah.  9  March,  1699. 

WELLS,  THOMAS  m.  Mary  Parker  3  March,  1673.     Son  John  b.  4  Feb.  1676. 

WEED,  NATHANIEL  of  Amesbury,  m.  Sarah  Stickney  27  Oct.  1701. 

WHITE,  CAPT.  PAUL  came  from  Pemaquid,  now  Bristol.  Maine,  to  Newbury,  about 
1653,  m.  Mrs.  Ann  Jones,  widow,  14  March,  1665.  Mrs.  Bridget  White,  probably  his 
first  wife.  d.  11  Dec.  1664.  He  died  20  July,  1679,  aged  89. 

WHITE,  WILLIAM  Ipswich,  then  Newbury,  then  Haverhill,  where  he  d.  28  Sept. 
1600,  aged  SO.  Son  James  b.  about  1649. 

WHITTlER,  THOMAS  born  in  1620,  went  to  Haverhill  from  Newbury  about  1650, 
and  d.  28  Nov.  1696.  Ch. — Richard,  b.  1663,  John,  23  Dec.  1669,  and  others.  A  John 
Whittier  d.  in  Newbury  20  Feb.  1699.  A  Thomas  Whittier  died  at  sea  20  Feb.  1679. 

WILLET,  FRANCIS  b.  in  1634,  m.  Martha  Silver  20  Dec.  1669.  Ch.— Martha,  24 
Feb.  1670,  Francis  22  Feb.  1671,  Sara,  19  Jan.  1673,  Joseph,  11  May,  1674,  William, 
12  Feb.  1681,  Thomas,  24  Dec.  1682,  Hannah,  5  Aug.  1685,  John,  9  July,  1687. 

WILLE T,  FRANCIS  son  of  Francis,  m.  Elizabeth  Lowle  29  Jan.  1696.  Ch.— Mary, 
20  Sept.  1698,  Judith,  10  May,  1702.  Ruth,  2  May,  1704. 

WILLIAMS.  JOHN     Ch.— Mary,  20  Sept.  1641,  Lydia,  15  March,  1643. 

WILLIAMS,  JOHN  m.  Rebecca  Colby,  1661.     He  d.  1674. 

WILLIAMS.  JOHN  d.  30  April.  1698. 

WISWALL/THOMAS  of  Cambridge  m.  Hannah  Cheney  17  Dec.  1696. 

WILLIAMS,  THOMAS  m.  Mary,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Lowle  15  Jan.  1696. 

WINGET.  JOSHUA  of  Hampton  m.  Mary  Lunt  19  Nov.  1702. 

WHEELER,  DAVID  born  in  Salisbury,  England,  1625,  came  from  Hampton  to  New- 
bury 1645.  He  m.  Sarah  Wise  11  May  1650.  Ch.— John,  5  Dec.  1653,  Abigail,  2 
Feb.  1656,  Jonathan,  6  Jan.  1658,  Nathan,  27  Dec.  1659,  Lydia,  7  May,  1662,  Jethro, 
2o  March,  1664. 

WHEELER,  GEORGE  m.  Susanna  Stowers  30  April  1660.  Ch.— Ephraim.2l  Oct. 
1662,  Samuel,  15  June,  1661.  and  d.  27  Dec.  1663,  Samuel,  15  Sept.  1664. 

WHEELER,  ROGER  m.  Mary  Wilson  7  Dec.  1653,  who  d.  27  Dec.  1658.  Ch.— Ma- 
ry. 12  Feb.  1655.  Joseph,  29  Aug.  1656,  and  d.  13  Oct.  1659. 

WHEELER.  NATHAN  son  of  David,  m.  Rebecca .  Ch.— Sarah,  4  July,  1692, 

Rebecca,  11  Sept.  1694,  Mercy,  30  Aug.  1696.  Abigail,  16  Dec.  1698. 

WHEELER,   JOHN    came  from   Salisbury,   England.     Ch.— Adam,  Edward,   and 

41 


322  APPENDIX. 

William,  whom  be  left  in  England,  David,  who  m.  Sarah  Wise,  and  Anne,  who  m. 
Aquila  Chase.  He  d.  1670,  and  his  wife,  Anne,  15  Aug.  1662. 

WHEELER,  JOSEPH  son  of  Roger,  m.  Sarah  Badger  24  Sept.  1685.  Daughter 
Mary,  22  Sept.  1686. 

WOODBRIDGE,  MR.  JOHN  was  born  in  Stariton,  Wiltshire,  in  1613,  carse  to  N.  E. 
in  1634,  to  Newbury,  1635.  He  rn.  Mercy  Dudley,  daughter  of  Gov.  Thomas  Dud- 
ley. He  d.  17  March,  1695.  Ch.— Sarah,  7  June,  1640,  Lucia,  13  March,  1642,  Mary, 

1652,  Thomas,  1649,  John,  Benjamin,  Dorothy,  Anne,  Timothy,  Joseph,  Martha,  and 
one  more  name  unknown.     These  last  were  born  in  England. 

WOODBRIDGE,  MR.  JOSEPH  son  of  John,  m.  Mrs.  Martha  Rogers  20  May,  1686. 
He  died  Ch.— Joseph,  7  May,  1687,  John,  13  Feb.  1690,  Nathaniel,  28 

Jan.  1696,  Margaret,  1698. 

WOODBRIDGE,  MR.  THOMAS  son  of  John,  m.  Mrs.  Mary  Jones,  only  daughter 
of  Mrs.  Ann  White,  12  June,  1671.  He  died  30  March,  1681,  aged  33.  In  Judge 
Sewall's  diary  is  the  following:  '  Thomas  Woodbridge  is  so  burnt  in  his  own  fire 
that  he.  dieth  of  insupportable  torment  in  about  12  hours  time.'  Ch. — Paul,  12  Feb. 

1673,  Mary,  20  Feb.  1675,  Thomas,  28  Jan.  1677,  John  and  Benjamin,  24  Feb.  1679. 
WOODMAN,  ARCHELAUS  mercer,  came  from  Malford,  England,  to  Newbury,  in 
•  the  James,  June,  1635.     His  wife  Elizabeth  died  17  Dec.  1677.     He  m.  Dorothy 

Chapman  13  Nov.  1678.     He  d.  7  Oct.  1702. 

WOODMAN,  MR.  EDWARD  came  from  Malford  with  his  brother  Archelaus.  Ch. 
— Sarah,  12  Jan.  1642,  Jonathan,  5  Nov.  1643,  Ruth,  28  March,  1646,  and  perhaps 
others. 

WOODMAN,  EDWARD  jr.  was  born  in  1628,  m.  Mary  Goodridge  20  Dec.  1653. 
Ch.— Mary,  29  Sept.  1654,  Elizabeth,  11  July,  1656,  and  d.  27  Dec.  1659,  Edward, 
1658,  Rebecca,  17  Sept.  1661,  Rebecca,  29  July,  1663,  Sarah,  18  July,  1665,  Judith,  18 
Nov.  1667,  Edward,  20  March.  1670,  Archelaus,  9  June,  1672,  Margaret,  31  Aug.  1676. 

WOODMAN,  JOSHUA  m.  Elizabeth  Stevens  22  Jan.  1666.  Ch.— Mehetabel,  20 
Sept.  1677,  Jonathan. 

WOODMAN,  JOHN  m.  Mary  Field  15  July,  1656. 

WOODMAN,  JONATHAN  m.  Sarah  Mighill  of  Rowley  1700. 

WOODMAN,  JOSHUA  rn.  Mehetabel  Wicomb  1703. 

WOODMAN,  ARCHELAUS  jr.  m.  Hannah  .  Ch.— Mary,  26  Feb.  1696,  Ed- 
ward, 12  May,  1698,  Archelaus,  15  May,  1700. 

WOODMAN, 'ED WARD  m.  Mary  Sawyer  29  June,  1702. 

WOODMAN.  JONATHAN  ship  builder,  m.  Hannah  Hilton,  2  July,  1668.  Ch.— 
Hannah,  8  March,  1669,  Sarah,  19  Oct.  1670,  Ruth,  11  July,  1672,  Jonathan,  16  April, 

1674,  Ichabod,  26  April,  1676,  Mary,  25  April,  1678,  William,  29  March,  1681. 
WOODMAN,  JONATHAN  jr.  son  of  Jonathan,  sen.  m.  Abigail  Atkinson,  1696. 

Daughter  Hannah,  24  Aug.  1696. 
WOOLCOTT  or  WOLCOTT,   carpenter,  born  in  1632,  m.  Mary  Thorla  20  Nov. 

1653.  Ch.— Mary,  1654.  Sarah,  23  Aug.  1657,  John,  25  Oct.  1660,  Joseph,  2  Feb. 
1664,  Elizabeth,  24  Feb.  1667,  Martha,  13  Sept.  1670,  Lydia,  15  Jan.  1674,  Hannah,  18 
April,  1679. 

WOOLCOT,  JOHN  m.  Mary  Emerson  4  Jan.  1685. 

WORSTER,  TIMOTHY  m.  Huldah .     Son  Samuel  b.  23  Oct.  1691. 

WOOLERY,  RICHARD  m.  Hannah  Huggins  24  Dec.  1678.     Ch.— A  daughter  1  Feb. 

1680,  Hannah,  10  Feb.  1681';  Mary,  22  Feb.  1683. 
WOOLSWORTH,  RICHARD,  weaver,  Newbury,  1679. 
WORTH,  LIONEL  m.   Susanna,  daughter  of  John  Whipple.     He  d.  29  June,  1667. 

The  widow  Susanna  m.  Moses  Pilsbury  1668.     Ch. — Susanna,  Mary,  Judith,  Sarah, 

Oct.  1656,  John,  18  Sept.  1664.  and  perhaps  others. 
WORTH,  RICHARD  m.  Mary  Pike  11  Sept.  1667. 

WORTH,  JOHN  son  of  Lionel,  m.  Elizabeth  Webster  17  March,  1687.     Ch.— Eliza- 
beth, 17  Aug.  1688,  John,  7  Feb.  1690,  Joseph,  7  Aug.  1693,  Edmund,  22  Oct.  1695. 
WRIGHT,  JOHN  had  ch.  Jonathan,  7  Dec.  1650,  Ruth,  31  May,  1652. 
YOUNG,  MATTHEW  m.  Eleanor  Hayes  23  April,  1696. 
YOUNG,    EDWARD    m.  Hannah  .     Ch.— Thomas,  17  Jan.  1691,  Richard,  7 

Sept.  1693. 

WYATT,  JOHN  m.  Mary  Badger  15  Dec.  1700. 
WEBSTER,  JOHN  jun.  son  of  John,  m.  Bridget  Huggins  9  March,  1681.     Ch.— 

Anne,  9  June,  1682,  John,  2  Nov.  1683,   Sarah,  28  Dec.  1685,  Israel,  9  April,  1688, 

Hannah,  5  Oct.  1692,  Stephen,  11  Jan.  1698. 
WELLS,  JOHN  m.  Mary  Greenleaf  5  March,  1669.     Ch.— Mary,  16  Dec.  1669,  and 

d.  1670,  Mary,  16  Feb.  1673,  William.  15  Jan.  1675. 


APPENDIX.  323 


E.     Page  47. 

As  a  specimen  of  the  manner,  in  which  history,  so  called,  is  some- 
times written,  I  am  induced  to  make  an  extract  from  the  first  number 
of  the  '  Reminiscences '  of  the  right  reverend  Philander  Chase,  formerly 
bishop  of  Ohio,  but  now  bishop  of  Illinois,  a  descendant  from  Aquila 
Chase.  To  this  extract,  I  shall  append  a  few  notes  (indicated  by  fig- 
ures,) designed  to  correct  some  of  the  mistakes,  into  which  the  bishop 
has  fallen.  As  these  mistakes  are  not  of  any  great  consequence,  it 
really  seems  a  pity  to  spoil  so  good  a  story,  but,  as  the  bishop  has  on 
the  authority  of  others,  asserted  in  his  '  reminiscences,'  circumstances 
that  no  person  ever  remembered,  for  the  very  conclusive  reason  that  they 
never  happened,  I  have  thought  proper,  for  the  honor  of  '  ould  New- 
berry,'  to  state  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  town  or  church  records, 
which  '  put  together,'  affords  any  materials  for  the  following  '  singular 
story,'  as  it  is  very  properly  styled.  On  the  church  records  the  name 
of  Aquila  Chase  is  not  found,  and  the  following  grant  comprises  all 
that  the  town  records  say  concerning  him.  "Who  the  person  might 
be,  whom  the  bishop  employed  to  examine  the  town  records  I  know 
not ;  he  must  have  been  of  that  class,  who  prefer  fiction  to  fact,  and 
find  it  easier  to  invent,  than  to  examine.  The  following  is  a  copy  of 
the  grant. 

'  Granted  to  Aquila  Chase  anno  1646  four  acres  of  land  at  the  new 
towne  for  a  house -lott,  and  six  acres  of  upland  for  a  planting  Jott,  where 
it  is  to  be  had  and  six  acres  of  marsh,  where  it  is  to  be  had  also,  on 
condition  that  he  do  goe  to  sea  and  do  service  in  the  towne  with  a  boate 
for  four  years.'  Proprietors'  records,  page  67. 

The  following  is  the  extract  from  the  *  Reminiscences,'  published  in 
1841. 

*  AQTTILA  CHASE,  according  to  a  tradition  among  bis  descendants,  was  a  native  of 
Cornwall,  in  England,  and  was  born  in  1618.  It  is  certain  from  the  (1)  records  of  the 
town  of  Newbury.  at  the  mouth  of  Merrimack  river,  that  he  was  the  first  captain  who 
in  a  regular  vessel  ever  sailed  into  that  port.  By  reason  of  his  nautical  skill  and  enter- 
prising character,  he  received  an  invitation  from  the  inhabitants  of  that  infant  settlement 
to  bring  his  family  from  Hampton,  not  far  off,  where  they  had  lived  a  few  years  on 
coming  to  America,  and  make  bis  home  among  them  ;  and  to  ensure  his  compliance, 
the  ' select  men'  who  acted  as  (what  is  called  in  other  places  than  New  England)  a. town 
council,  tendered  him  the  donation  of  several  lots  of  land  and  some  other  immunities.  (2) 
He  complied  with  their  wishes  and  became  an  inhabitant  of  that  then  promising 
maritime  village.  (3) 

'  It  appears  from  the  records  (4)  which  the  writer  caused  to  be  examined  in 
Ncwburyport  in  1826,  that  captain  Aquila  Chase  had  several  children  and  an  affec- 
tionate wife,  who  made  home  to  him  more  than  ordinarily  agreeable.  Connected  with 
these  facts  and  circumstances  there  are  recorded  on  the  town  books  (5)  many  events, 
which,  being  put  together,  fully  justify  in  its  main  features  the  truth  of  the  following 
singular  story  of  this  venerable  ancestor  of  most  of  the  New  England  Chases. 

'  It  appears  that  the  captain  and  his  industrious  family  had  improved  the  lots,  which 
had  been  presented  to  him  by  the  '  select  men,'  into  a  pretty  garden  ;  (6)  and  while  the 
enterprising  and  hardy  parent  was  at  sea.  buffeting  the  waves  and  enduring  the  hardships 
of  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  the  wife  and  children  felt  that  they  could  do  no  less 
than  try  to  make  him  comfortable  on  his  return  and  during  his  stay  (short  enough 
always)  on  shore. 

'  It  happened  on  a  year  of  peculiar  vernal  (7)  forwardnessin  gardening,  after  the  captain 
had  been  absent  a  great  part  of  the  winter,  and  had  delayed  his  return  beyond  the 
expected  time,  that  this  most  affectionate  family  mutually  conferred  together  on  the 
great  question  how  they  could  most  acceptably,  by  their  skill  in  gardening,  welcome 
bis  return  whom  of  all  earthly  beings  they  loved  most.  The  boys  proposed  to  force 


324  APPENDIX. 

forward  the  potatoes;  (8)  the  girls  thought  that  the  sweet  flowers  of  May  would  please 
him  best;  but  the  mother  observed  that  she  knew  of  something  which  would  gratify 
him  more  than  all.  '  Green  peas  are  your  father's  favorite,'  said  she;  'and  it  is  my 
wish  that  we  try  to  force  them  forward  to  the  utmost  of  our  power.' 

'  There  was  something  more  than  that  which  met  the  eye  in  this  expression.  Mrs. 
Chase  had  often  heard  her  husband  complain  of  the  danger  to  bodily  health,  in  long 
voyages  at  sea,  from  the  want  of  vegetable  diet;  for  acids  (9)  at  that  era  were  not 
known  as  means  to  obviate  this  evil.  She  therefore  could  not  but  mingle  with  the 
motives  which  prompted  her  to  treat  her  husband  with  kindness,  in  presenting  him 
•with  the  first  fruits  of  her  garden  on  his  arrival,  something  beside  the  mere  pleasure  of 
seeing  him  regale  his  appetite,  and  that  was  a  settled  conviction  that  the  same  would 
be  for  his  health.  '  He  must  have  been  a  long  time  at  sea,'  said  she  to  her  children, 
•when  cultivating  the  favorite  bed  of  peas  ;  '  and  who  knows  but  this  precaution  may 
not  prevent  some  deadly  disease  ?' 

'  Never  were  children  more  mindful  of  a  p'arent's  commands  than  were  those  of  captain 
Chase  in-  all  things  relating  to  the  cultivation  of  the  garden  peas  meant  to  greet  him 
on  his  expected  arrival.  The  dark  green  vines  of  this  delicious  vegetable  grew  apace  ; 
the  flowers  put  forth,  and  the  pods  formed  and  swelled ;  and,  just  as  they  were  ready  to 
pluck,  a  vessel  was  seen  crowding  all  her  sails  to  get  into  port. 

'It  was  Sunday  morning.  The  news  came  that  she  had  passed  the  bar;  then  that 
captain  Chase  himself  had  been  descried  as  if  giving  cheerful  orders  to  his  men ;  again 
it  was  reported  that  he  had  arrived  and  laid  his  ship  'long  side  of  Newbury  old  wharf.'  (10) 

'  This  indeed  was  a  reality,  and  the  grateful  father  was  soon  on  shore,  surrounded  bj' 
his  sons, —  full  of  talk,  of  questions,  and  of  glee.  'But  it  is  the  Sabbath,' said  the 
youngest  boy;  'we  must  not  talk  loud  ;  the  deacon  will  hear  us  if  we  do.'  '  Suppose 
he  do,  my  child,'  said  the  father,  tenderly  embracing  him;  'God  hears  us,  too,  and 
knows  our  hearts  and  thoughts,  and  how  thankful  we  all  are  for  being  permitted,  after 
so  long  a  voyage,  to  meet  in  peace  and  health.' 

'  As  they  were  walking  to  their  home,  another  of  his  sons  said,  'dear  father,  it  will 
give  mother  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  to  see  you.'  '  I  hope  so,  my  son:'  '  But  she  will 
be  additionally  happy  when  she  sees  you  eat  her  green  peas}  '  What  green  peas,'  said 
the  captain.  '  Some  that  we  have  all  been  raising,  at  mother's  particular  request,  to 
regale  you  on  your  arrival.  No  one  else  in  Newbury  has  any  half  so  forward.  Yes, 
they  are  ready,  mother  said,  to  pick  this  moment;  and  when  we  came  away  she  said 
she  wished  you  had  come  on  a  week  day,  for  then  you  should  have  them  for  dinner.' 
'  Suppose  we  were  yet  to  have  them  T  said  the  father.  'Did  not  the  disciples  of  our 
Lord  pluck  the  ears  of  corn,  and  rub  them  in  their  hands,  and  eat  them  too,  on  the 
Sabbath  day;  and  may  we  not  pick  and  eat  the  green  peas  without  incurring  the  divine 
displeasure  ?' 

'  This  was  reported  to  the  ears  of  the  mother,  and  consent  was  obtained  to  prepare 
the  peas.  And  now  comes  the  difficulty.  J*Some  one  who  was  going  home  from 
'meeting,'  (for  it  was  thought  sinful  to  say,  'going  home  frorn  chwch'  in  those  days, 
saw  the  captain's  family  in  the  garden  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  that  they  were  gathering 
peas !  (11 )  The  next  day  he  was  cited  to  appear  before  the  minister.  The  captain  pled 
his  own  cause, —  it  seems  one  against  many, —  and  cited  the  passage  alluded  to  in  his 
justification.  At  the  close  he  alleged  that  he  had  been  long  at  sea,  and  that  the  peas 
were  necessary  to  his  bodily  health,  and  would  be  adjudged  so  by  the  physicians.  It 
was  unfortunate  for  him  that  he  attempted  to  draw  a  contrast  between  his  accusers 
and  the  ancient  Scribes  and  Pharisees.  This  shut  the  door  of  mercy  on  him,  and  they 
pronounced  him  'guilty.'  (12)  They  did  not  punish  him  corporeally,  as  in  those  days 
was  common, '  with  forty  stripes  save  one,'  but  they  laid  a  heavy  fine  upon  him,  and 
compelled  him  to  pay.  (13.)  , 

'  It  does  not  appear  that  captain  Chase  retained  any  ill  will  toward  the  people  of 
Newbury  on  account  of  this  treatment:  on  the  contrary,  all  his  descendants  have  had 
and  still  have  a  traditionary  affection  for  the  place  and  its  inhabitants,  where  that 
venerable  ancestor  was  invited  to  reside,  and  where  he  spent  so  many  of  his  happiest 
days.' 

NOTE  (1.)  Nothing  of  the  kind  is  on  the  records,  nor  is  there  the  slightest 
evidence  that  Aquila  Chase  was  ever  master  of  a  vessel.  Had  that  been  the 
case,  he  would  have  been  called  on  the  records,  captain,  or  master,  especially 
in  those  days,  when  a  title  of  any  kind  was  a  mark  of  distinction,  and  never 
omitted. 

NOTE  (2.)  This  is  a  mistake.  There  were  no  'other  immunities,'  than  the 
grants  of  land  above  mentioned. 

NOTE  (3.)     '  Promising  maritime  village.'     At  this  time  there  was  no  village 


APPENDIX.  325 

in  what  is  now  Newburyport.  As  late  as  1700,  fifty -four  years  after  Aquila 
Chase  came  to  Newbury,  there  were  but  two  dwelling  houses  and  one  fish 
house  between  Mr.  Daniel  Pierce's  farm,  and  Chandler's  lane  on  Water  street.  . 
One  of  these  houses  was  Mr.  Daniel  Pierce's,  and  the  other,  doctor  Humphrey 
Bradstreet's,  which  stood  near  Hale's  wharf.  Newburyport  market  was  then  an 
alder  swamp,  and  boats  came  up  near  where  the  town  pump  now  stands. 

NOTE  (4)  and  (5.)  The  town  'records/  so  far  from  'fully  justifying  in  its 
main  features  the  truth  of  the '  preceding  '  singular  story,7  contain  no  allusion  to 
any  ' event/'  in  any  way  connected  with  it  except  the  grants  and  condition  on 
which  they  were  given. 

NOTE  (6.)  '  Improved  the  lots  into  a  pretty  garden.'  If  this  were  the  fact, 
the  '  garden ;  must  have  been  large  as  well  as  '  pretty,'  as  the  lots  contained 
sixteen  acres,  of  which  six  were  '  salt  marsh.' 

NOTE  (7.)  l  Peculiar  vernal  forwardness.'  The  county  records  state  lSep- 
1  ember  1646,  Aquila  Chase  and  wife  and  David  Wheeler  of  Hampton  were 
presented  for  gathering  peas  on  the  Sabbath  day.7  David  Wheeler  was  brother 
to  Aquila  Chase's  wife. 

NOTE  (8.)  •  The  boys  proposed  to  force  forward  the  potatoes,'  This  cannot 
be  true,  as  there  was  not  a  potato  raised  in  New  England  till  1719,  which  was 
seventy-three  years  after  Aquila  Chase's  family  are  said  to  have  tried  their 
skill  in  gardening.  There  is  another  difficulty.  '  The  boys,'  at  that  time  were 
not  in  being.  Aquila  Chase's  oldest  son,  Aquila,  was  born  26  Sept.  1652,  and 
his  oldest  daughter,  Sarah,  was  probably,  at  the  time  of  '  gathering  pease,'  about 
a  year  old. 

NOTE  (9.)  This  is  an  error.  Acids  were  as  well  known  'as  means  to^obviate 
the  evil '  of  which  he  speaks,  as  they  are  now.  See  Winthrop,  volume  first, 
page  forty-fifth,  anno  1630,  and  several  other  places. 

NOTE  (10.)  'Long  side  of  Newbury  old  wharf. ,'  This  cannot  be  true,  as  the 
first  wharf  in  Newbury,  now  Newburyport,  was  not  erected  till  1655;  which  was 
nine  years  after  the  '  peas  were  gathered.' 

NOTE  (11.)  l  Cited  to  appear  before  the  minister.7  There  are  two  objections 
to  this  statement,  supposing  all  the  remaining  parts  of  the  story  are  true.  First, 
Aquila  Chase  was  not  a  member  of  the  church  in  Newbury,  and  consequently, 
he  was  not  amenable  to  an  ecclesiastical  tribunal.  Secondly,  if  he  had  been 
a  member,"  *  the  minister '  was  not  the  person  to  settle  the  difficulty  with  the 
offending  brother,  but  the  brethren.  See  Matthew,  ch.  18,  v.  15,  16,  17. 

NOTE  (12)  arid  (13.)  l  They  pronounced  him  ' guilty/ '  'laid  a  tax  on  him 
and  compelled  him  to  pay.7  These  statements  are  not  correct.  As  the  case 
was  a  civil  one.  they,  i.  e.  his  accusers,  had  no  power  to  do  either.  The  county 
records  state,  that  Aquila  Chase  was  ordered  to  be  '  admonished.'  but  the  usual 
fines  for  such  an  offence  were  '  remitted.' 

It  will  readily  be  seen,  that  the  evidence,  on  which  the  bishop  founded 
his  stoiy,  and  which  he  presumed  was  correct,  will  not  bear  a  very 
rigid  examination.  It  is  proper  to  add,  that  the  errors  were  pointed  out 
to  the  bishop,  who  expressed  his  gratitude  for  the  information,  and  de- 
clared that  the  mistakes  would  be  corrected  in  a  second  edition,  should 
one  be  printed.  Mistakes,  in  some  respects  similar  to  the  preceding, 
are  very  numerous  in  historical  works,  and  authors  and  compilers  will 
find  it  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  in  all  cases  to  avoid  them.  Thus,  for 
instance,  there  was  published  many  years  ago  an  amusing  account  of 
an  interview  between  the  reverend  Nathaniel  Ward,  of  Ipswich,  and 
the  reverend  Cotton  Mather,  of  Boston,  the  writer  probably  not  know- 
ing that  Mr.  Ward  ^lied  in  England,  several  years  before  Mr.  Mather 
was  born.  In  Abbotts  history  of  Andover,  page  150,  it  is  stated  that 
John  Kittredge  was  grandson,  of  John  Kittredge,  '  a  physician  from 
Germany.'  Now  it  so  happens  that  this  German  doctor  was  born  in 
Billerica,  in  1666,  who  married  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  died  in  1714. 


326  APPENDIX. 

I  once  received  a  letter  from  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
Newbury,  in  which  he  in  minutely  tracing  his  pedigree  back  to  old 
England,  made  his  New  England  ancestor  five  years  older  than  his 
English  father,  the  latter  being  bora  in  1609,  and  his  son  in  1604,  a 
very  forward  youth,  certainly.  In  a  printed  book,  now  before  me,  the 
writer,  in  one  case,  makes  the  father  about  120  years  of  age,  when  his 
first  son  was  born.  In  the  life  of  president  Holley,  there  is  an  anachronism 
of  a  hundred  years,  which  makes  the  genealogy  of  his  family  utterly 
worthless,  because  it  cannot  be  true.  Other  instances  might  be  pointed 
out,  and  perhaps  some  in  this  very  book,  which  will  remind  the  reader 
of  the  assertion  made  by  the  insane  patient,  mentioned  by  doctor  Rush. 
He  declared  that  his  father  was  Alexander  the  great,  his  mother  was 
queen  Elizabeth,  and  that  he  was  born  in  Philadelphia.  Persons,  who 
are  not  insane,  sometimes  make  ludicrous  mistakes,  and  should  the 
compiler  of  this  work  be  found  in  that  class,  the  reader,  as  in  all  other 
instances  of  the  kind,  must  be  as  charitable  as  the  case  will  admit. 


F.     Page  63. 

The  following  ballad  is  the  one  alluded  to  page  63,  and  was  first 
published  some  years  ago,  in  the  North  Star,  a  Philadelphia  annual. 
Its  republication  will,  I  doubt  not,  gratify  many  of  my  readers,  who  will 
have  an  opportunity  of  comparing  and  contrasting  the  facts  of  the  his- 
torian with  the  beautiful  embellishments  of  the  poet. 

The  goodman  sat  beside  his  door 

One  sultry  afternoon, 
"With  his  young  wife  singing  at  his  side 

A  quaint  and  goodly  tune. 

A  glimmer  of  heat  was  in  the  air, 

The  dark  green  woods  were  still; 
And  the  skirts  of  a  heavy  thunder  cloud 

Hung  over  the  western  hill. 

Black,  thick  and  vast  arose  that  cloud 

Above  the  wilderness, 
As  some  dark  world  from  upper  air 

Were  stooping  over  this. 

At  times  the  solemn  thunder  pealed, 

And  all  was  still  again, 
Save  a  low  murmur  in  the  air 

Of  coming  wind  and  rain. 

Just  as  the  first  big  rain  drop  fell, 

A  weary  stranger  came, 
And  stood  before  the  farmer's  door, 

With  travel  soiled,  and  lame. 

Sad  seemed  he,  yet  sustaining  hope 

Was  in  his  quiet  glance, 
And  peace,  like  autumn's  moonlight  clothed 

His  tranquil  countenance. 

A  look,  like  this  his  Master  wore 

In  Pilate's  council  hall: 
It  told  of  wrongs,  but  of  a  love 

Meekly  forgiving  all. 


APPENDIX.  327 

c  Friend !  wilt  tbou  give  me  shelter  here  1 ' 

The  stranger  meekly  said ; 
And  leaning  on  his  oaken  staff, 

The  goocfman's  features  read. 

'My  life  is  hunted  —  evil  men 

Are  following  in  my  track ; 
The  traces  of  the  torturer's  whip 

Are  on  my  aged  hack. 

And  much  I  fear  'twill  peril  thee 

Within  thy  doors  to  take 
A  hunted  seeker  of  the  truth, 

Oppressed  for  conscience'  sake.' 

O,  kindly  spoke  the  goodman's  wife, 

'  Come  in,  old  man ! '  quoth  she, 
'  We  will  not  leave  thee  to  the  storm, 

Whoever  thou  mayst  be.' 

Then  came  the  aged  wanderer  in, 

And  silent  sat  him  down; 
While  all  within  grew  dark  as  night 

Beneath  the  storm  cloud's  frown. 

But  while  the  sudden  lightning's  blaze 

Filled  every  cottage  nook, 
And  with  the  jarring  thunder  roll 

The  loosened  casements  shook, 

A  heavy  tramp  of  horses'  feet 

Came  sounding  up  the  lane, 
And  half  a  score  of  horse  or  more 

Came  plunging  through  the  rain. 

'  Now,  goodman  Macy,  ope  thy  door, 

We  would  not  be  house  breakers ; 
A  rueful  deed  thou  'st  done  this  day, 

In  harboring  banished  quakers.' 

Out  looked  the  cautious  goodman  then, 

With  much  of  fear  and  awe, 
For  there  with  broad  wig  drenched  with  rain. 

The  parish  priest  he  saw. 

'  Open  thy  door,  thou  wicked  man, 

And  let  thy  pastor  in, 
And  give  God  thanks,  if  forty  stripes 

Repay  thy  deadly  sin.' 

'  What  seek  ye  ? '  quoth  the  kind  goodraan, 

'  The  stranger  is  my  guest; 
He  is  worn  with  toil  and  grievous  wrong — 

Pray  let  the  old  man  rest.' 

1  Now,  out  upon  thee,  canting  knave ! ' 

And  strong  hands  shook  the  door, 
'  Believe  me,  Macy,'  quoth  the  priest, 

'  Thou  'It  rue  thy  conduct  sore.' 


Then  kindled  Macy's  eye  of  fire, 
'  No  priest,  who  walks  the  earth, 

Shall  pluck  away  the  stranger  g 
Made  welcome  to  my  hearth. 


guest 


Down  from  his  cottage  wall  he  caught, 
The  match-lock,  hotly  tried 

At  Preston-pans  and  Marston-moor 
By  fiery  Ireton's  side ; 


328  APPENDIX. 


Where  puritan  and  cavalier, 

With  shout  and  psalm  contended  ; 

And  Rupert's  oath,  and  Cromwell's  prayer 
With  battle  thunder  blended. 

Up  rose  the  ancient  stranger  then ; 

'  My  spirit  is  not  free 
To  bring  the  wrath  and  violence 

Of  evil  men  on  thee; 

And  for  thyself,  I  pray  forbear 

Bethink  thee  of  thy  Lord, 
Who  healed  again  the  smitten  ear, 

And  sheathed  his  follower's  sword. 

I  go,  as  to  the  slaughter  led ; 

Friends  of  the  poor,  farewell ! ' 
Beneath  his  hand  the  oaken  door, 

Back  on  its  hinges  fell. 

'  Come  forth,  old  gray  beard,  yea  and  nay,' 

The  reckless  scoffers  cried, 
As  to  a  horseman's  saddle  bow 

The  old  man's  arms  were  tied. 

And  of  his  bondage  hard  and  long 

In  Boston's  crowded  jail, 
Where  suffering  woman's  prayer  was  heard 

With  sickening  childhood's  wail, 

It  suits  not  with  our  tale  to  tell, 

Those  scenes  have  passed  away  — 
Let  the  dim  shadows  of  the  past 
Brood  over  that  evil  day. 

1  Ho,  sheriff!'  quoth  the  ardent  priest  — 

'  Take  goodman  Macy  too; 
The  sin  of  this  day's  heresy 

His  back  or  purse  shall  rue.' 

And  priest  and  sheriff  both  together 

Upon  his  threshold  stood, 
When  Macy,  through  another  door 

Sprang  out  into  the  wood. 

1  Now,  good  wife,  as  thou  lovest  me,  haste  ! ' 

She  caught  his  manly  arm  : 
Behind,  the  parson  urged  pursuit, 

With  outcry  and  alarm. 

Ho !  speed  the  Macys,  neck  or  nought, 

The  river's  course  was  near: 
The  plashing  on  its  pebbled  shore 

Was  music  to  their  ear. 

A  gray  rock,  tasseled  o'er  with  birch, 

Above  the  waters  hung, 
And  at  its  base  with  every  wave 

A  small  light  wherry  swung. 

A  leap  —  they  gain  the  boat  —  and  tnere 

The  goodman  wields  his  oar ; 
4  III  luck  betide  them  all,'  he  cried  — 

'  The  laggards  upon  shore.' 

Down  through  the  crashing  underwood 

The  hurley  sheriff  came:  — 
'  Stand,  goodman  Macy  —  yield  thyself; 

Yield,  in  the  king's  own  name.' 


APPENDIX.  329 


*  Now  out  upon  thy  hangman's  face  ! ' 

Bold  Macy  answered  then, 
'  Whip  women  on  the  village  green, 

But  meddle  not  with  men.' 

The  priest  came  panting  to  the  shore, 

His  grave  cocked  hat  was  gone; 
Behind  him,  like  some  owl's  nest,  hung 

His  wig  upon  a  thorn. 

'Come  back  —  comeback,'  the  parson  cried, 

1  The  church's  curse  beware.' 
'  Curse  an'  thou  wilt,'  said  Macy, '  but 

Thy  blessing  prithee  spare.' 

'Vile  scoffer!'  cried  the  baffled  priest, — 

'  Thou 'It  yet  the  gallows  see.' 
'  Who 's  born  to  be  hanged,  will  not  be  drowned,' 

Quoth  Macy  merrily ; 

And  so,  sir  sheriff  and  priest,  good  bye ! 

He  bent  him  to  his  oar, 
And  the  small  boat  glided  quietly 

From  the  twain  upon  the  shore. 

Now  in  the  west,  the  heavy  clouds 

Scattered  and  fell  asunder. 
Anc!  feebler  came  the  rush  of  rain. 

While  fainter  growled  the  thunder. 

And  through  the  broken  clouds  the  sun 

Looked  out  serene  and  warm, 
Painting  its  holy  symbol-light 

Upon  the  passing  storm. 

Oh,  beautiful !  that  rainbow  span, 
O'er  dim  Crane  neck  was  bended; 

One  bright  foot  touched  the  eastern  hills 
And  one  with  ocean  blended. 

By  green  Pentucket's  southern  slope 

The  small  boat  glided  fast, 
The  watchers  at  the  block  house  saw 

The  strangers  as  they  passed. 

That  night  a  stalwart  garrison 

Sat  shaking  in  their  shoes, 
To  hear  the  dip  of  Indian  oars  — 

The  glide  of  birch  canoes. 

They  passed  the  bluffs  of  Amesbury, 

And  saw  the  sunshine  glow 
Upon  the  Powow's  winding  stream, 

And  on  the  hills  of  Po. 

The  fisher-wives  of  Salisbury 

(The  men  were  all  away) 
Looked  out  to  see  the  stranger-oar 

Upon  their  waters  play. 

Deer  island's  rocks  and  fir  trees  threw 

Their  sunset  shadows  o'er  them, 
And  Newbury's  spire  and  weathercock, 

Peered  o'er  the  pines  before  them. 

Around  the  Black  rocks  on  their  left 

The  marsh  lay  broad  and  green, 
And  on  their  right  with  dwarf  shrubs  crowned, 

Plum  island's  hills  were  seen. 

42 


330  APPENDIX. 

With  skillful  hand  and  wary  eye, 
The  harbor  bar  was  crossed  ; 

A  play  thing  of  the  restless  wave, 
The  boat  on  ocean  tossed. 

The  glory  of  the  sunset  heaven 
On  land  and  water  lay, — 

On  the  steep  hills  of  Agawam, 
On  cape,  and  bluff  and  bay. 

They  passed  the  gray  rocks  of  cape  Ann 
And  Gloucester  harbor  bar; 

The  watch-fire  of  the  garrison 
Shone  like  a  setting  star. 

How  brightly  broke  the  morning, 
On  Massachusetts  bay ! 

Blue  wave  and  bright  green  island, 
Rejoicing  in  the  day. 

On  passed  the  bark  in  safety, 
Round  isle  and  headland  steep  ; 

No  tempest  broke  above  them, 
No  fog-cloud  veiled  the  deep. 

Far  round  the  bleak  and  stormy  cape, 
The  venturous  Macy  passed, 

And  on  Nantucket's  naked  isle 
Drew  up  his  boat  at  last. 

And  how  in  log-built  cabin, 

They  braved  the  rough  sea-weather; 

And  there,  in  peace  and  quietness, 
Went  down  life's  vale  together ; 

How  others  drew  around  them, 
And  how  their  fishing  sped, 

Until  to  every  wind  of  heaven, 
Nantucket's  sails  were  spread; 

How  pale  Want  alternated 
With  Plenty's  golden  smile; 

Behold,  is  it  not  written 
In  the  annals  of  the  isle  ? 

And  yet  that  isle  remaineth 

A  refuge  of  the  free, 
As  when  true-hearted  Macy 

Beheld  it  from  the  sea.  , 

Free  as  the  winds  that  winnow 
Her  shrubless  hills  of  sand; 

Free  as  the  waves  that  batter 
Along  her  yielding  land. 

Than  hers,  at  Duty's  summons, 

No  loftier  spirit  stirs  : 
Nor  falls  on  human  suffering, 

A  readier  tear  than  hers. 

God  bless  the  sea-beat  island  ! 

And  grant  for  evermore, 
That  Charity  and  Freedom  dwell, 

As  now,  upon  her  shore  ! 


APPENDIX.  331 


,  G.    Page  174. 

Joseph  Bartlett,  the  author  of  the  following  narrative,  was  a  native 
of  Newbury.  He  was  the  fifth  son  of  Richard  and  Hannah  Bartlett, 
and  was  bom  18  November,  1686,  and  died  1754,  aged  68.  For  a  copy 
of  the  pamphlet,  which  was  published  in  1807,  I  am  indebted  to  one 
of  his  descendants,  doctor  Levi  S.  Bartlett,  of  Kingston,  N.  H. 

NARRATIVE. 

1  In  the  year  1707,  in  November,  I  Joseph  Bartlett,  was  pressed,  and  sent  to  Haverhill. 
My  quarters  were  at  the  house  of  a  captain  Waindret.  August  29,  1708,  there  came 
about  160  French  and  50  Indians,  and  beset  the  town  of  Haverhill  —  set  fire  to  several 
houses  5  among  which  was  that  of  captain  Waindret.*  The  family  at  this  time  were 
all  reposing  in  sleep;  but  Mrs.  Waindret  waking,  came  and  awaked  and  told  me  that 
the  Indians  had  come.  I  was  in  bed  in  a  chamber,  having  my  gun  and  ammunition  by 
my  bed-side.  I  arose,  put  on  my  small  clothes,  took  my  gun,  and  looking  out  at  a 
window,  saw  a  company  of  the  enemy  lying  upon  the  ground  just  before  the  house, 
with  their  guns  presented  at  the  windows,  that,  on  discovering  any  person,  they  might 
fire  at  them.  I  put  my  gun  to  the  window  very  still,  and  shot  down  upon  them,  and 
bowed  down  under  the  winflow;  at  which  they  fired,  but  I  received  no  harm.  I  went  into 
the  other  chamber,  in  which  was  Mrs.  "Waindret,  who  told  me,  we  had  better  call  for 
quarter,  or  we  should  all  be  burnt  alive.  I  told  her  we  had  better  not;  for  I  had  shot, 
and  believed  I  had  killed  half  a  dozen,  and  thought  we  should  soon  have  help.  After 
re-loading  my  gun,  I  was  again  preparing  for  its  discharge,  when  I  met  with  a  Mr, 
Newmarsh,  who  was  a  soldier  in  that  place.  He  questioned  me  concerning  my  desti- 
nation. I  answered,  that  I  was  going  to  shoot.  He  told  me  if  I  did  shoot,  we  should 
all  be  killed,  as  captain  Waindret  had  asked  for  quarter,  and  was  gone  to  open  the  door. 
I  asked  him  what  we  should  do  in  this  situation.  He  tsaid  we  must  go  and  call  for 
quarter;  and,  setting  our  guns  in  the  chamber  chimney;  we  went  down  and  asked  for 
quarters.  The  entry  was  filled  with  the  enemy,  who  took  and  bound  us,  and  plundered 
the  house.  They  killed  no  one  but  captain  Waindret.  When  they  had  done  plunder- 
ing the  house,  they  marched  off;  and  at  no  great  distance  coming  into  a  body,  I  had  a 
good  viewof  them,  so  that  I  could  give  a  pretty  correct  account  of  their  number,  ex- 
pecting to  escape. 

'  After  a  short  stop,  they  proceeded.  When  they  had  travelled  a  short  distance,  the 
Indians  knocked  in  the  head  one  of  their  prisoners,  whose  name  I  think  was  Len- 
dall,  a  man  belonging  to  Salem.  They  then  marched  on  together,  when  captain  Eains 
with  a  small  company  waylaid  and  shot  upon  them,  which  put  them  to  flight,  so  that 
they  did  not  get  together  again  until  three  days  after,  as  the  French  afterwards  informed 
me.  The  small  company  which  had  me  in  keeping,  I  believe  did  not  fire  a  gun. 

'At  first  I  was  taken  by  the  French,  and  was  with  them  till  this  fight  was  over;  du- 
ring which  an  Indian  came  to  me  in  great  fury,  with  his  hatchet,  I  suppose  to  take 
away  my  life;  but,  through  the  mercies  of  God,  the  French  put  him  by:  and  so  I  was 
spared.  I  heard  many  bullets  hum  over  my  head,  as  we  marched  away.  After  the 
fight  was  over,  the  French  gave  me  to  the  Indians — for  the  Indians  killed  their  prison- 
ers. How  many  were  killed  in  the  fight  I  do  not  know.  I  saw  one  Indian  that  had 
his  thigh  broken,  whom  two  of  them  carried  away  to  a  pond  of  water,  where  I  thought 
they  put  him  in,  but  after  a  great  while  the  French  told  me  that  another  Indian  staid 
with  and  took  care  of  him.  and  about  three  months  after  he  brought  him  to  Montreal; 
but  he  was  ever  after  lame.  We  travelled  hard  all  that  day  till  nearly  sun-set,  when 
they  camped  for  the  night.  They  tied  me  down,  and  laid  each  side  of  me  upon  the 
strings;  and  so  they  did  almost  every  subsequent  night.  The  next  morning  they  arose 
very  early,  and  led  me  —  my  arms  being  tied  behind  me,  and  another  squaw-line  about 
my  neck.  I  was  led  by  an  Indian,  who  had  a  hatchet  in  his  hand,  and  a  pistol  in  his 
girdle.  In  this  manner  I  was  led  the  most  part  of  the  way.  They  travelled  hard  the 
three  first  days.  I  had  not  as  yet  ealen  hardly  any  thing,  for  they  had  little  besides 
horse-meat ;  and,  carrying  a  heavy  pack.  I  was  very  much  fatigued.  Ascending  a  steep 
hill  a  little  before  we  came  to  VVinnipesocket  pond.  I  was  almost  ready  to  give  out; 
but,  through  the  goodness  and  help  of  God,  I  was  enabled  to  proceed  this  third  day; 
but  at  night  I  was  extremely  faint.  The  Indians  made  a  little  water  pottage  without 
salt  or  sweetning,  and  gave  me  some  to  drink.  I  drank  a  little  draught;  and  with  the 

N 

*  Captain  Simon  Waiuwright. 


332  APPENDIX. 

blessing  of  God.  it  very  much  revived  me,  and  proved  the  best  cordial  I  ever  took  in 
my  life.  I  slept  very  well  that  night,  and  the  next  morning  was  very  cold,  and  so  hun- 
gry that  I  could  eat  almost  any  thing.  Marching  a  short  distance,  we  came  to  the 
pond,  where  the  French  and  Indians  all  took  their  canoes,  which  were  a^  little  way 
from  the  pond.  Here  the  French  and  Indians  parted;  the  former  going  northerly,  and 
the  latter  westerly.  Before  we  had  crossed  the  pond,  we  saw  a  bear  swimming,  which 
they  killed,  and  hauled  to  shore.  We  then  fared  sumptuously,  and  tarried  at  the  pond, 
about  a  day  and  a  half.  Leaving  their  canoes  a  little  way  off,  we  travelled  for  five 
days,  with  very  little  sustenance,  except  a  small  quantity  of  pounded  corn,  which  they 
had  procured.  In  these  five  days  the  Indians  scattered,  so  that  there  were  but  fourteen 
or  fifteen  with  me.  From  Winnipesocket  pond  we  came  to  a  river  which  runs  into  the 
lake.  Here  the  Indians  in  a  day  and  a  half  made  canoes,  in  which  we  proceeded  down 
the  river  three  days ;  having  nothing  to  eat  but  a  few  sour  grapes  and  thorn  plumbs  for 
four  days.  They  then  killed  a  hawk,  which  they  boiled,  and  parted  among  fifteen  — 
giving  the  head  for  my  share,  which  was  the  largest  meal  I  had  in  these  four  days ;  but 
with  the  blessing  of  God  I  was  strengthened,  and  had  my  health.  The  Indians,  when 
much  reduced  by  hunger,  would  gird  up  their  loins  with  a  string,  which  I  found  very 
useful  when  applied  to  myself. 

'  Going  down  the  river  to  the  lake,  we  met  several  companies  of  Indians,  who  gave 
us  some  corn  and  pompkins;  and  when  we  came  to  the  lake  we  met  ten  Frenchmen, 
•who  came  to  give  us  provisions.  After  this,  the  Indians  killed  five  sturgeons,  which 
gave  us  a  good  supply  of  food.  One  of  the  Indians  being  taken  sick,  we  camped  for 
two  or  three  days.  They  then  set  out  for  another  island  in  the  night ;  and  the  wind 
and  waves  were  very  high,  so  that  the  water  beat  into  the  canoes.  Sitting  on  the  bot- 
tom of  one  of  these,  I  was  very  wet  and  cold.  When  they  came  to  the  shore,  we 
camped  for  a  short  time;  and  in  about  three  days  we  proceeded  to  Chamblee,  a  French 
fort  upon  the  river  that  runs  from  the  lake  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  or  Canada  river  — 
•where  we  obtained  an  additional  supply  of  food.  I  here  saw.an  Englishman,  whose 
name  was  Littlefield  —  taken  I  think  from  Wells.  We  had  a  little  talk  with  the  Indi- 
ans, and  tarried  there  three  or  four  hours.  W7e  made  two  encampments  within  a  short 
distance;  the  last  of  which  continued  four  days,  in  consequence  of  the  indisposition 
of  one  of  the  Indians.  Some  of  the  Indians  carried  those  who  were  sick  upon  their 
backs.  Before  we  reached  Montreal,  we  came  to  Capredia,  a  French  fort  I  think  about 
fifteen  miles  from  Chamblee  —  where  the  Indians  cut  the  hair  from  one  side  of  my 
head  —  greased  the  remainder  and  my  face,  and  painted  the  latter. 

'  We  then  went  over  the  river  to  the  governor  —  wfhere  they  examined  and  questioned 
me  concerning  the  affairs  of  our  land  —  whether  the  English  talked  of  invading  Cana- 
da or  not.  Afterwards  we  went  to  the  seminary,  that  is,  the  priest-house,  where  we 
tarried  that  night.  Next  morning  we  set  out  for  the  Indians'  fort,  which  the  French 
called  Sadrohelly,  and  which  was  about  nine  miles  from  Montreal.  When  they  had 
proceeded  about  half-way,  they  made  a  stop,  and  marked  a  tree  with  the  picture  of  a 
man's  hand  and  some  scalps.  They  then  led  me  along  a  little  further  to  a  place  where 
•was  a  fire  and  about  fifteen  Indians  and  thirty  boys.  Here  they  made  a  stop,  and  tied 
me  ibr  a  short  time;  during  which  I  believe  they  held  a  counsel  whether  to  burn  me 
or  not.  But  God,  who  hath  the  hearts  of  all  in  his  hands,  spared  my  life.  The  Indi- 
ans that  took  me  and  the  boys  marched  away,  and  left  me  with  the  others,  who  led  me 
along  a  little  way,  and  permitted  a  squaw  to  cut  off  one  of  my  little  fingers,  and  anoth- 
er to  strike  me  severely  with  a  pole.  Passing  through  a  large  company  of  Indians,  we 
entered  the  fort,  where  they  bound  up  my  finger  with  plantain  leaves,  and  gave  me 
some  roasted  pompkin-to  eat.  Here  there  came  together  a  great  company  that  filled 
the  wigwam,  which  was  nearly  forty  feet  in  length,  where  they  sung  and  danced  a 
greater  part  of  the  night,  as  many  at  a  time  as  could  stand  from  one  end  of  the  wigwam 
to  the  other.  In  this  manner  they  danced  round  their  fires.  They  often  invited  me  to 
dance;  but  I  refused  from  time  to  time.  However,  they  pulled  me  up,  and  I  went 
around  once  with  them.  Next  day  they  came  together  again  with  their  scalps,  which 
they  presented  their  squaws.  One  of  them  then  took  me  by  the  hand,  and,  after  a 
lengthy  speech,  gave  me  to  an  old  squaw7,  who  took  me  into  another  wigwam.  Here, 
after  a'little  crying  and  whimpering,  she  made  me  put  off  my  Indian  stockings  and  my 
blanket,  and  gave  me  others;  and  she  warmed  some  water,  and  washed  the  red  paint 
and  grease  from  my  face  and  hands.  There  was  another  family  lived  in  the  same  wig- 
wam. An  English  woman,  who  belonged  to  one  of  the  French  nuns,  came  in,  and 
told  me  I  need  not  fear,  for  I  was  given  to  this  squaw  in  lieu  of  one  of  her  sons,  whom 
the  English  had  slain  ;  and  that  I  was  to  be  master  of  the  wigwam;  —  but  she  being  a 

fapist,  I  placed  little  reliance  on  her  assertions.     The  old  squaw  was  very  kind  to  me. 
staid  here  about  two  weeks;  and  then  went  to  another  fort  about  eighteen  miles  dis- 
tant.    While  I  was  there,  the  Indians  brought  an   English  lad,  whom  they  had  taken 
at  Quabog,  whose  name  was  Jo"hn  Willet.     He  was  very  glad  to  see  me;  and  I  tarried 


APPENDIX.  333 

with  him  about  a  fortnight,  when  I  returned  to  the  fort  from  whence  I  came.  The 
poor  boy  was  sensibly  affected  at  my  departure,  and  was  very  loth  to  part  with  me: 
but  I  spake  as  comfortably  to  him  qs  I  could,  and  told  him  that  he  should  hope  and 
trust  in  God  for  deliverance;  for  he  was  able  to  keep  us,  and  return  us  again  to  our 
homes.  I  bade  him  farewell,  and  told  him  I  hoped  we  should  see  each  other  in  happi- 
ness in  another  world. 

•  After  I  had  been  a  short  time  at  the  other  fort,  there  was  brought  in  by  the  Indians 
an  Englishman,  named  Martin  Kelcock,  who  lived  in  the  same  wigwam  with  me.     I 
found  him  of  great  benefit  to  me,  as  he  understood  and  could  well  explain  their  lan- 
guage.    He  had  been  taken  by  them  some  years  previous;  but  escaped,  and  was  after- 
wards re-taken.     We  lived  together  till   February;  but  we  endured  much  from  the 
severity  of  the  weather,  being  poorly  clad,  and  destitute  of  proper  food.     They  would 
sometimes  soak  corn,  and  break  it  between  two  stones;  then  boil  it   with  the  flesh  of 
beaver  —  sometimes  with  the  inwards  of  cattle  obtained  from  the   French;  and  fre- 
quently they  would  kill  a  dog,  and  cut  and  boil  the  flesh  with  squatted  corn  ;  of  which 
they  w:ould  make  a  feast.    They  had  a  meeting-house  in  the  fort,  and  a  French  priest: 
they  made  me  attend  their  meeting  at  times;  but  I  could  understand  nothing  that  was 
said.  * 

•  Sometime  in  February  after  I  was  taken.  I  went  to  live  with  the  French.     The  man 
with  whom  I  resided  they  called  Mr.  Delude  :  he  was  a  captain,  and  a  rich  man.     He 
being  incapable  of  walking,  by  reason  of  a  gout  sore,  it  was  allotted  to  a  Frenchman 
and  myself  to  attend  upon  him.     At  times  of  leisure,  I  wrought  at  shoe-making.     I 
lived  here  about  fifteen  months,  during  which  time  I  fared  \vell  for  food.     I  had  a  great 
deal  of  talk  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  the  different  modes  of  worship.     My  mistress 
used  to  ask  me  why  I  did  not  attend  meeting.     I  answered,  that  I  could  not  understand 
what  they  said.     She  said  she  could  not.     I  asked  her  what  she  went  for.     She  an- 
swered, to  say  her  prayers.     I  asked  her  why  she  could  not  understand  them.     She 
said,  because  they  speak  in  Latin.     For  what  they  say  the  most  in  Latin,  I  do  not 
know.     The  mass  commences  the  services  :  after  which  they  attend  to  praying,  reading 
and  singing;  the  priest  receiving  the  sermon  with  abundance  of  bowing  and  kneeling. 
The  altar  is  built  up  in  the  meeting-house,  and  makes  a  fine  appearance;  at  one  end  of 
which  they  have  a  small  cupboard,  where  they  keep  their  sacramental  bread  and  wine. 
"While  the  mass  is  saying,  their  bread  is  formed  into  little  wafers  about  the  size  of  our 
copper  pence.     They  then  put  one  of  them  into  a  thing  about  the  bigness  of  the  palm 
of  the  hand,  which  has  a  handle,  and  is  covered  with  a  glass.     When  they  say  mass, 
the  priest  takes  this  out  of  the  altar,  and  turns  around,  making  a  sign  of  a  cross  to  the 
people,  who  all  fall  upon  their  knees  and  say  their  prayers.     The  priest  tells  the  people 
that  this  bread  or  water  is  Christ's  body  —  flesh,  blood  and  bone,  after  it  is  consecrated. 
Hence   they  worship  it  as  much  as  if  Christ  came  bodily  among  them.     The  priest, 
when  he  says  mass,  has  two  boys,  one  on  his  right  hand  and  the  other  on  his  left;  one 
of  them  rings  a  bell  when  the  priest  is  going  to  take  that  which  they  call  Christ,  to 
give  notice  of  his  approach. 

;  They  were  very  civil  to  me,  not  compelling  me  to  kneel.  On  my  coming  to  reside 
with  the  French,  Mr.  Meriel,  a  French  priest,  came  and  brought  me  an  English  bible. 
As  I  sat  at  shoe-making,  he  came  and  sat  down  beside  me,  and  questioned  me  concern- 
ing my  health,  and  whether  I  had  been  to  their  meetings.  I  told  him  I  had  not.  On 
his  asking  the  cause,  I  answered  (as  I  had  done  before)  that  I  could  not  understand 
what  they  said.  He  said  he  wished  to  have  me  come  and  witness  their  carryings  on. 
I  told  him  it  was  not  worth  my  while.  But  he  was  very  earnest  that  I  should  come  to 
his  meeting:  and  advised  me  to  try  all  things,  holding  fast  that  which  is  good.  Who 
knows  (said  he)  but  that  God  hath  sent  you  here  to  know  the  true  way  of  worship.  I 
told  him  I  believed  ours  was  the  right  way.  Says  he,  we  hold  to  nothing  but  what  we 
can  prove  by  your  own  bible.  After  considerable  conversation,  I  told  him  I  did  not 
know  but  that  I  should  come  to  their  meeting,  and  see  how  they  carried  on;  which  af- 
ter a  little  while  I  did.  Now  in  their  meeting-house  there  stood  a  large  stone  pot  of 
their  holy  water;  into  which  every  one  that  came  in  dipped  their  finger,  making  a  sign 
of  a  cross,  putting  their  fingers  first  to  their  foreheads,  then  to  their  stomachs,  after- 
wards to  their  left  shoulder,  and  then  to  their  right  shoulder,  saying,  'Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Ghost  —  amen;'  and  kneeling  down,  they  say  a  short  prayer  to  themselves'. 
They  have  pulpits  in  their  houses  for  public  worship;  in  which  the  priests  sometimes 
preach.  After  a  short  time,  the  priest  came  again  to  visit  me,  and  asked  me  how  I  liked 
their  manner  of  worship.  I  told  him  it  seemed  strange  to  me.  He  said  this  was  gen- 
erally the  case  at  first,  but  after  a  while  it  would  appear  otherwise.  I  told  him  he  had 
said  that  he  would  hold  to  no  doctrine  but  what  he  could  prove  by  the  bible:  what 
proof  (said  I)  have  you  of  such  a  place  as  Purgatory,  or  a  middle  place  for  departing 
souls?  He  said  in  Luke  xvi.  2 2  —  And  he  died,  and  was  carried  by  angels  into  Abra- 
ham's bosom.  I  said  I  supposed  Abraham  had  gone  to  heaven.  I  asked  him  what  was 


334  APPENDIX. 

done  in  Purgatory.  He  said  they  tarried  there  awhile  to  be  purged  from  their  sins,  and 
afterwards  go  to  heaven.  I  told  him,  it  was  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,  and  after 
death  is  the  j  udgment,  Hebrews  ix.  27 ;  and  in  Eccl.  xi.  3  —  If  the  tree  falls  to  wards  the 
south  or  towards  the  north,  in  the  place  where  the  tree  falls  there  it  shall  lie ;  —  and 
that  I  believed  as  death  leaves  us  so  judgment  will  find  us.  He  said  there  were  some 
little  sins  which  were  not  unto  death,  if  not  repented  of;  and  that  there  were  some  lit- 
tle sinners;  and  asked  if  I  thought  all  should  fare  alike.  I  said  all  willful  sins  were 
unto  death,  if  not  repented  of;  and  that  I  believed  there  were  different  degrees  of  tor- 
ments. I  told  him  1  understood  that  they  prayed  to  angels  and  saints,  and  asked  him 
what  scripture  authority  they  had  for  that.  He  said  nature  and  reason  would  teach  us 
to  do  so;  for,  said  he,  had  you  any  great  business  with  the  king,  you  would  get  some 
great  man  to  speak  for  you.  I  said  the  cases  were  not  similar,  for  we  are  invited  to 
come  to  Christ.  Hebrews  iv.  16 —  Let  us  therefore  come  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace, 
that  we  may  obtain  mercy  and  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need.  We  are  forbidden  to 
pray  to  saints  and  angels,  or  to  give  divine  worship  to  any  creature.  In  Rev.  xxii.  2 
and  9,  John  was  forbidden  to  fall  down  and  worship  before' the  feet  of  the  angels.  It  is 
said  of  Cornelius,  Acts  x.  2,  He  prayed  to  God  always;  and  if  he  prayed  to  God  always, 
he  did  not  pray  to  saints. 

'I  set  out  on  my  return  from  captivity  on  Sunday,  October  fifth,  1712.  We  went 
from  Chamblee  on  the  ninth  of  the  same  month,  and  came  to  Albany  on  the  twentieth, 
where  we  tarried  seven  days,  and  two  at  Kinderhook,  which  was  one  day's  march  from 
Albany.  We  were  two  days  in  travelling  from  Kinderhook  to  Westfield;  from  thence 
to  Springfield  one  day.  From  Springfield  to  Quabog  one  day  —  from  Quabog  to  Marlbo- 
rough  one  day,  and  from  Marlborough  to  Boston  one  day.  My  arrival  at  Boston  was 
on  the  fourth  of  November.  Here  I  tarried  four  days ;  and  came  to  Newbury  the  eighth 
of  November,  1712  —  after  a  captivity  of  four  years,  two  months  and  nine  days.' 

After  his  return  the  general  court  ordered  that  '  the  sum  of  twenty 
pounds  and  fifteen  shillings  be  allowed  and  paid  to  Joseph  Bartlett  in 
full  of  his  petition  of  charges  and  expences  to  obtain  his  liberty  from 
the  Indians,  being  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians  at  Haverhill,  when  in 
her  majesties'  service  in  the  year  1708,  and  for  his  support  during  four 
years'  captivity  and  for  the  loss  of  his  arms.' 

In  this  attack  on  Haverhill,  sixteen  inhabitants  of  that  place  were 
killed,  and  some  others,  not  inhabitants.  The  reverend  John  Pike  in 
his  journal  says  '  that  many  soldiers  belonging  to  Salem  were  slain.' 
On  the  general  court  records  I  find  the  following : 

'  November  3ef,  1708.  Resolved  that  the  sum  of  five  pounds  be  allowed  and  paid  out 
of  the  publick  treasury  to  the  petitioner,  Mrs.  Sarah  Coffin,  on  account  of  the  remark- 
able forwardness  and  courage,  which  her  husband,  William  Coffin  of  Salem,  distin- 
guished himself  by,  in  the  action  at  Haverhill  where  he  was  slain.' 

The  reverend  Benjamin  Rolfe,  pastor  of  the  church  in  Haverhill, 
who  with  his  wife  and  one  child  was  slain  on  that  eventful  day,  was  a 
native  of  Newbury.  For  a  more  particular  account  of  him  see  list  of 
graduates. 


H.     Page  241. 

In  selecting  and  arranging  the  materials,  used  in  the  preceding 
compilation,  I  soon  discovered  that  a  more  extended  account  of  the 
transactions  in  '  ould  Newberry,'  concerning  slavery,  than  the  brief 
notices  I  could  conveniently  give  in  the  annals,  would  be  necessary.  I 
have  therefore  thought  proper  to  insert  in  this  note  an  abstract  of  such 
facts,  as  would  be  deemed  appropriate  and  interesting.  Justice  to  our 
forefathers  requires  that  the  lights  and  shades  of  their  character  on  this 
subject,  as  well  as  all  others,  should  be  given  as  accurately  as  possible, 


APPENDIX.  335 


O3T 

and  to  omit  all  allusion  to  any  of  their  marked  peculiarities,  would  lead 
to  erroneous  conclusions,  and  do  both  them,  and  their  posterity  injustice. 
A  '  suppressio  veri'  is  in  fact  a  '  suggestio  falsi,'  or,  in  the  language  of 
Cicero,  'nam,  qui  nescit,  primam  esse  historian  legem,  ne  quid  falsi  dicere 
audeat,  ne  quid  veri  non  audeat,  ne  qua  suspicio  gratis  sit  in  scribendo.' 
Slaves,  we  know,  were  introduced  into  Virginia  in  1620,  and  into 
Massachusetts  in  a  very  few  years  after  its  settlement,  but  the  number 
was  very  small.  In  the  '  Body  of  Liberties,  composed  by  [the  reve- 
rend] Nathaniel  Ward  of  Ipswich,  author  of  the  Simple  Cobbler  of 
Agawam,  and  adopted  by  the  Colony  of  Massachusetts  in  1641,  which 
was  the  first  Code  of  Laws  established  in  New  England,'  I  find  the 
following : 

'  There  shall  never  be  any  bond  slaverie,  villinage  or  captivitie  amongst  us  unles  it 
be  lawfull  captives  taken  in  just  warres,  and  such  strangers  as  willingly  selle  themselves, 
or  are  sold  to  us.  And  these  shall  have  all  the  liberties  and  Christian  usages,  which 
the  law  of  God  established  in  Israeli  concerning  such  persons  doeth  morally  require. 
This  exempts  none  from  servitude,  who  shall  be  judged  thereto  by  authoritie.'* 
• '  If  any  man  stealeth  a  man  or  mankinde  he  shall  surely  be  put  to  death.'  Ex.  21 : 16. 

In  1646,  in  consequence  of  transactions  on  the  coast  of  Guinea,  by 
one  James  Smith,  a  member  of  the  church  of  Boston,  who  brought 
home  two  negroes,  and  was  the  means  of  killing  near  one  hundred 
more,  the  general  court  passed  the  following  order,  namely  : 

1  The  general  court  conceiving  themselves  bound  by  the  first  opportunity  to  bear 
witness  against  the  heinous,  and  crying  sin  of  man  stealing,  as  also  to  prescribe  such 
timely  redress  for  what  is  past,  and  such  a  law  for  the  future,  as  may  sufficiently  deter 
all  others  belonging  to  us  to  have  to  do  in  such  vile  and  odious  courses,  justly  abhorred 
of  all  good  and  just  men,  do  order  that  the  negro  interpreter  with  others  unlawfully 
taken,  be  by  the  first  opportunity  at  the  charge  of  the  country  for  the  present,  sent  to 
his  native  country  (Guinea)  and  a  letter  with  him  of  the  indignation  of  the  court 
thereabouts,  and  justice  thereof  desiring  our  honoured  governor  would  please  put  this 
order  in  execution.' 

Among  the  papers  on  file  in  the  court  records,  I  find  the  following 
petition.  It  is  also  printed  in  Savage's  Winthrop,  voL  2,  page  379-80. 
Though  not  relating  to  Newbury,  it  is  worth  inserting  here. 

1  To  the  honored  general  court. 

'  The  oath  I  took  this  yeare  att  my  enterance  upon  the  place  of  assistante  was  to  this 
effect :  That  I  would  truly  endeavour  the  advancement  of  the  gospell  and  the  good  of 
the  people  of  this  plantation  (to  the  best  of  my  skill)  dispencing  justice  equally  and 
impartially  (according  to  the  laws  of  God  and  this  land)  in  all  cases  wherein  I  act  by 
virtue  of  my  place.  I  conceive  myself  called  by  virtue  of  my  place  to  act  (according 
to  this  oath)  in  the  case  concerning  the  negers  taken  by  captain  Smith  and  Mr.  Keser; 
wherein  it  is  apparent  that  Mr.  Keser  gave  chace  to  certaine  negers;  and  upon  the 
same  day  tooke  divers  of  them  ;  and  at  another  time  killed  others  ;  and  burned  one  of 
their  townes.  Omitting  several  misdemeanours,  which  accompanied  these  acts  above- 
mentioned,  I  conceive  the  acts  themselves  to  bee  directly  contrary  to  these  following 
laws  (all  of  which  are  capitall  by  the  word  of  God;  and  two  of  them  by  the  lawes  of 
this  jurisdiction.) 

'  The  act  (or  acts)  of  murder  (whether  by  force  or  fraude)  are  expressly  contrary 
both  to  the  law  of  God,  and  the  law  of  this  country. 

'  The  act  of  stealing  negers,  or  of  taking  them  by  force  (whether  it  be  considered 
as  theft,  or  robbery)  is  (as  I  conceive)  expressly  contrary,  both  to  the  law  of  God,  and 
the  law  of  this  country. 

*  See  '  Remarks  on  the  Early  Laws  of  Massachusetts  Bay  :  -with  the  Code  adopted  in  1641  and 
called  the  BODY  OF  LIBERTIES  now  first  primed  By  T.  C.  Gray,  LL.  D.  A.  A.  S.  S.  H.  S.' 
in  vol.  VIII.  third  series  of  the  Historical  Society's  collections.  1843. 


336  APPENDIX. 

'The  act  of  chaceing  the  ncgers  (as  aforesayde)  upon  the  sabbath  day  (being  a  servile  worke 
and  such  as  cannot  be  considered  under  any  other  hcade)  is  expressly  capitall  by  the  law  of  God. 

These  acts  and  outrages  being  committed  where  there  was  noe  civill  government, 
•which  might  call  them  to  accompt,  and  the  persons,  by  whom  they  were  committed 
beeing  of  our  jurisdiction,  I  conceive  this  court  to  bee  the  ministers  of  God  in  this 
case,  and  therefore  my  humble  request  is  that  the  several!  offenders  may  be  imprisoned 
by  the  order  of  this  court,  and  brought  into  their  deserved  censure  in  convenient  time  ; 
and  this  I  humbly  crave  that  soe  the  sinn  they  have  committed  may  be  upon  their 
own  heads,  and  not  upon  ourselves  (as  otherwise  it  will.) 

Yrs  in  all  christean  observance, 

RICHARD  SALTONSTALL,' 

'  The  house  of  deputs  thinke  meete  that  this  petition  shall  be  granted,  and  desire  our 
honnored  magistrats  concurrance  herein. 

EDWARD  RAWSON.' 

From  a  letter  addressed  by  governor  '  Simon  Bradstreet  18  May 
1680  to  the  lords  of  his  majestie's  privy  councill,  containing  'answers 
to  their  inquiries,'  '  I  extract  the  following : 

'  There  hath  been  no  company  of  blacks  or  slaves  brought  into  the  country  since  the 
beginning  of  this  plantation,  for  the  space  of  fifty  yeares,  onely  one  small  vessell  about 
two  yeares  since  after  twenty  months'  voyage  to  Madagasca  brought  hither  betwixt 
forty  and  fifty  negro's,  most  women  and  children,  sold  here  for  ten,  fifteen  and  twenty 
pounds  apiece,  which  stood  the  merchants  in  neer  forty  pounds  apiece  one  with 
another  :  now  and  then,  two  or  three  negro's  are  brought  hither  from  Barbados  and 
other  of  his  majestiess'  plantations,  and  sold  here  for  about  twenty  pounds  apiece,  so 
that  there  may  bee  within  our  government  about  one  hundred  or  one  hundred  and 
twenty,  and  it  may  be  as  many  Scots  brought  hither  and  sold  for  servants  in  the  time 
of  the  war  with  Scotland,  and  most  now  married  and  living  here,  and  about  halfe  so 
many  Irish  brought  hither  at  several  times  as  servants.' 

From  these  extracts  it  appears  that  slaves,  though  not  numerous  in 
Massachusetts,  were,  notwithstanding  the  law,  introduced  without 
difficulty,  and  bought  and  sold  without  scruple,  by  all  classes  of  people. 

At  how  early  a  period,  and  in  what  numbers,  slaves,  either  African 
or  Indian,  were  introduced  into  Newbury,  no  record  informs  me,  but  I 
have  reason  to  believe  that,  prior  to  1700,  the  number  was  small,  al- 
though a  large  proportion  of  the  wealthy  families  had  one  or  more. 
This  is  ascertained  by  reference  to  their  wills,  inventories,  and  so 
forth.  Thus  in  the  inventory  of  captain  Paul  White,  1679,  I  find, 
'  one  negro w  =  £30.' 

In  the  will  of  Henry  Jaques,  dated  1687,  I  find  this  sentence  :  '  my 
will  is  that  whereas  Jasper,  my  Indian,  hath  been  a  good  servant  to 
me  my  will  is  that  he  shall  serve  my  executor  faithfully  after  my  de- 
cease six  years  and  then  he  shall  be  free.' 

In  the  inventory  of  Richard  Dummer's  estate,  I  find,  '  a  negro  —  £60.' 
In  Richard  Dole's  will,  1698,  he  gives  to  one  of  his  children,  'my  great 
bible,  fowling  piece,  musket,  and  also  my  negro  boy  Tom.'  To  son 
William,  'negro  boy  Mingo,'  to  daughter  Hannah, 'my  negro  maid 
named  Lucy.'  '  My  negro  Grace  shall  have  her  freedom,  if  she  will 
accept  of  it.'  '  My  negro  servant  Betty  shall  serve  two  years,  and  then 
she  shall  be  free.' 

In  1702,  Samuel  Plumer,  ferryman,  gives  freedom  to  his  Indian 
servant  Kate. 

Many  of  the  slaves  in  Massachusetts  were  Indians  imported  from  the 
south.  Thus,  in  1708,  '  Thomas  Steel  sells  to  John  Farnum  of  Boston 
for  thirty-five  pounds  an  Indian  boy  called  Harry,  imported  into  the 


APPENDIX.  337 

province  from  South  Carolina.'  In  1725,  Theophilus  Cotton,  of 
Hampton,  deeds  to  Jonathan  Poore,  of  Newbury,  '  all  that  my  Indian 
boy  Sippai  aged  about  sixteen.'  As  early  as  1649,  December  twenty- 
ninth,  William  Hilton,  of  Newbury,  '  sells  to  George  Carr  for  one 
quarter  part  of  a  vessel,  James  my  Indian  with  all  the  interest  I  have 
in  him  to  be  his  servant  forever.' 

The  following  receipt,  in  the  hand- writing  of  Stephen  Jaques,  I  give 
verbatim. 

'  Reseved  of  Richard  Kelly  of  Newbry  the  sum  of  thorty  eayght  pound  in  full  mony 
for  a  Spanish  Ingnn  boy  nemed  sesor,  by  our  judgment  under  ten  eyr  old  in  the  eyr  of 
1714,  reseved  by  me  this  day  of  ienry,  being  the  fifteenth  of  ienry.  1718, 1  say  by  me. 

CUTTING  NOYES.' 

In  1716,  Rice  Edwards,  of  Newbury,  shipwright,  sells  to  Edmund 
Greenleaf,  '  my  whole  personal  estate  with  all  my  goods  and  chattels 
as  also  one  negro  man,  one  cow,  three  pigs  with  timber,  plank  and  boards.' 

'November  4th,  1725.  I,  the  subscriber  do  one  and  acknowledge  that  I  have  sold  to 
Mr.  Richard  Kelly  a  nagrow  man,  caled  Reuben,  for  which  I  have  received  an  hundred 
pounds  in  bills  of  credit,' and  so  forth.  'JOWATHAN  POORE.' 

In  the  honorable  Nathaniel  Coffin's  account  book,  I  find  the  following : 

'  1731.     An  account  of  some  things  my  son  Edmund  had  of  me. 

1  Paid  for  his  learning,  and  his  books  and  his  medicine,  .£70 

To  Jack,  a  negro  man,  50 

To  8  sheep,  2  hogsheads  of  lime,  a  half  bushel  of  oatmeal,  and  29  Ib.  of 

flax,  12  18s.' 

In  1738,  Ezekiel  Chase  sells  and  delivers  to  John  Merrill,  for  forty 
pounds,  '  my  negro  boy  named  Titus  about  one  year  and  a  half  old 
during  his  natural  life.' 

In  the  settlement  of  colonel  Joseph  Coffin's  estate,!  find  the  following, 
namely : 

'  1771,  Nov.  27.    Daughter  Sarah,  Dr. 

To  part  of  negro  girl  Lucy,  £45,  old  tenor. 

1771,  Nov.  27.    Daughter  Susanna,  Dr. 

To  part  of  negro  girl  Lucy,  £45,  old  tenor.' 

Ill  March,  1739, William  Johnson,  shipwright,  gave,  granted,  bargained 
and  sold  for  thirty-five  pounds,  '  to  Moses  Titcomb  to  his  heirs  and 
assigns  forever  a  certain  negro-man  called  by  the  name  of  Cambridge 
of  the  age  of  about  twenty-one  years  —  and  that  the  said  Moses  Tit- 
comb,  his  heirs,  executors,  and  administrators  shall  by  virtue  of  this 
deed  have,  hould,  use  and  improve  said  negro  man  Cambridge  during 
the  whole  term  of  his  natural  life,'  and  so  forth. 

These  deeds  were  sometimes  of  great  length,  and  written  with  as 
much  formality  and  minuteness  as  the  deeds  to  an  estate  worth  a  million 
of  money,  and,  with  few  exceptions,  all  classes  of  people,  merchants, 
farmers,  mechanics,  professors  of  religion,  and  ministers  of  the  gospel, 
bought  and  sold  slaves,  apparently  without  the  slightest  idea  of  the 
enormity  of  the  sin,  and  on  the  same  principle  that  they  would  purchase 
a  horse,  a  sheep,  or  a  piece  of  land.  They  thus  necessarily  sanctioned 
the  slave  trade,  and  all  its  unspeakable  abominations. 

43  * 


338  APPENDIX. 

The  reverend  Matthias  Plant,  in  his  diary,  June  twenty-second,  1735, 
says,  '  I  wrote  to  Mr.  Salmon  of  Barbadoes  to  send  me  a  negro/ 
About  the  year  16     ,1  find  the  following  : 

*  A  count  of  dets  from  ye  town  to  saveral  parsons.' 

c  Serj.  Jacob  Tapin  to  driving  sheep  one  day.' 

1  And  to  timber  for  ye  high  way.' 

'  Abal  Marel  a  two  year  bull/ 

1  James  Ordway  for  his  negro  being  lost.' 

'  Mr.  William  Moulton  a  two  year  old  bull.' 

This  state  of  things  was  not  always  to  last.  As  early  as  May  twenty- 
sixth,  1701,  the  'representatives  were  desired  to  promote  the  encouraging 
the  bringing  of  white  servants  and  to  put  a  period  to  negroes  being 
slaves.' 

About  1710,  judge  Sewall  wrote  and  published  a  tract  against  slavery, 
entitled,  'the  selling  of  Joseph.'  In  1716,  he  says  in  his  diary, '  I  essayed 
to  prevent  negroes  and  Indians  being  rated  with  horses  and  cattle,  but 
could  not  succeed.'  A  few  years  after  this,  Elihu  Coleman,  of  Nan- 
tucket,  wrote  and  published  a  tract  against  slavery.  Excepting  these 
two  persons,  there  appears  to  have  been  no  public  advocate  for  the  slave 
in  Massachusetts,  till  a  short  time  prior  to  the  revolution.  Then  an 
examination  of  their  own  rights  induced  hundreds  to  examine  the 
subject  of  slavery,  who  could  not  avoid  seeing  and  feeling  the  gross 
inconsistency  of  contending  for  their  own  liberty,  while  at  the  same 
time  they  were  holding  thousands  in  abject  bondage.  It  became 
everywhere  a  subject  of  discussion.  Many  essays  appeared  in  the 
public  papers,  in  favor  of  emancipation.  In  1765,  the  celebrated 
Granville  Sharpe,  of  England,  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Africans 
with  great  zeal,  and,  through  his  instrumentality,  it  was  decided  in 
1772,  that  the  moment  a  slave  touched  the  soil  of  England,  that  moment 
he  was  free. 

In  1766,  the  controversy  concerning  slavery  in  Massachusetts  began, 
and  in  1767,  an  attempt  was  made  in  the  legislature  to  abolish  the 
slave  trade.  A  bill  was  brought  into  the  house  of  representatives  '  to 
prevent  the  unnatural  and  unwarrantable  custom  of  enslaving  mankind 
and  the  importation  of  slaves  into  this  province,'  but  the  council,  then 
the  upper  house,  non-concurring,  it  failed.  On  March  second,  1769, 
the  reverend  Samuel  Webster,  of  Salisbury,  Massachusetts,  published 
'  an  earnest  address  to  my  country  on  slavery.'  I  give  an  extract. 

1  Now  keep  your  eye  upon  the  Christian  law  of  love,  or  upon  the  golden  rule  in  their 
most  plain  and  obvious  sense  (after  all  possible  limitations  and  exceptions,  which  do  not 
absolutely  destroy  them)  and  reconcile  common  slavery  therewith  and  I  will  undertake  to 
reconcile  light  with  darkness,  and  Christ  with  Belial.  Let  a  man  love  his  neighbour  and 
do  as  he  would  be  done  by,  and  if  he  makes  a  slave  upon  this  plan,  I  will  venture  to  be 
his  slave  forever.  I  fear,  I  greatly  fear  that  it  is  want  of  honesty  more  than  want 
of  light,  which  continues  it  in  the  world.  This  is  too  plain  a  case  for  men  always  to 
deceive  themselves  in.  I  must  believe  that  most,  who  desire  to  see,  can  here  see  what 
is  right,  and  do  see  and  fed,  if  they  have  any  understanding,  and  any  bowels  and  mer- 
cies. What  then  is  to  be  done  ?  Done !  for  God's  sake  break  every  yoke  and  let  these 
oppressed  ones  go  free  without  delay  —  let  them  taste  the  sweets  of  that  liberty,  which 
we  so  highly  prize,  and  are  so  earnestly  supplicating  God  and  man  to  grant  us:  nay, 
which  we  claim  as  the  natural  right  of  every  man.  Let  me  beseech  my  countrymen 
to  put  on  bowels  of  compassion  for  these  their  brethren  (for  so  I  must  call  them,)  yea, 
let  me  beseech  you  for  your  own  sake  and  for  God's  sake,  to  break  every  yoke  and  let 
the  oppressed  go  free.' 


APPENDIX.  339 

In  1770,  James,  a  servant  of  Richard  Lechmere,  of  Cambridge, 
brought  an  action  against  his  master  for  detaining  him  in  bondage, 
which  was  decided  in  favor  of  the  plaintiff  In  all  subsequent  suits  of 
the  same  nature,  '  the  juries  invariably  gave  their  verdict  in  favor  of 
liberty/  and  so  great  was  the  change  in  public  opinion,  in  consequence 
of  the  exertions  of  those  who  were  favorable  to  emancipation,  that  in 
seven  years  slavery  was  abolished  in  six  of  the  then  thirteen  colonies ; 
namely,  Vermont,  in  1777,  Massachusetts  and  Pennsylvania,  in  1780, 
New  Hampshire,  in  1783,  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  in  1784. 
The  society  of  friends  was  the  first  religions  body  that  took  up  the 
subject,  and  so  efficiently  did  they  act,  that  in  1787  not  a  single  ac- 
knowledged member  of  the  society  was  the  owner  of  a  slave. 

At  the  annual  commencement  at  Cambridge,  July  21,  1773,  a  foren- 
sic disputation  '  on  the  legality  of  enslaving  the  Africans,'  was  held  by 
two  candidates  for  the  bachelor's  degree  ;  namely,  Theodore  Parsons 
and  Eliphalet  Pearson,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Newbury.  This 
was  published  the  same  year,  in  a  pamphlet  of  forty-eight  pages.  The 
question  was,  '  whether  the  slavery,  to  which  Africans  are  in  this  province, 
by  the  permission  of  law,  subjected,  be  agreeable  to  the  law  of  nature? 

In  October  of  1773,  an  action  was  brought  against  Richard  Green- 
leaf,  of  Newburyport,  by  Ca?sar  [Hendrick,]  a  colored  man,  whom  he 
claimed  as  his  slave,  for  holding  him  in  bondage.  He  laid  the  damages 
at  fifty  pounds.  The  counsel  for  the  plaintiff  in  whose  favor  the  jury 
brought  in  their  verdict  and  awarded  him  eighteen  pounds  damages 
and  costs,  was  John  Lowell,  esquire,  afterward  judge  Lowell.  This 
case  excited  much  interest;  as  it  was  the  first,  if  not  the  only  one  of 
the  kind,  that  ever  occurred  in  the  county. 

In  this  same  year,  another  attempt  was  made  in  Massachusetts  to 
prohibit  the  slave  trade.  In  January,  1774,  a  bill  for  that  purpose 
passed  both  houses,  but  the  governor,  ( Hutchinson, )  refused  his  assent. 
'  His  instructions,'  he  said,  'forbad.'  Governor  Gage  refused  for  the 
same  reason.  On  this  important  subject  the  people  of  Massachusetts 
were  not  i^lle.  The  pulpit  and  the  press  were  not  silent,  and  sermons 
and  essays  in  behalf  of  the  enslaved  Africans  were  continually  making 
their  appearance.  Of  this  class  of  writers,  no  one  entered  more  deep- 
ly into  the  cause  of  the  suffering  and  the  dumb,  and  displayed  more 
zeal  and  ability  than  deacon  Benjamin  Colman,  of  Newbury.  He 
wrote,  and  talked,  and  prayed  on  the  subject,  was  instant  in  season 
and  out  of  season,  and  it  is  owing  to  the  exertions  of  such  men,  that 
public  opinion  was  so  soon  prepared  for  a  general  emancipation,  which 
was  virtually  done  at  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  of  Massachusetts, 
in  1780. 

His  first  essay  that  I  have  seen,  was  published  July  twentieth,  1774, 
in  the  Essex  Journal,  of  Newburyport,  and  contains  two  columns,  from 
which  I  take  the  following  extract. 

'  I  pray  that  we  may  refrain  at  present  from  any  bitter  reflection  on  the  British  min- 
istry and  search  among  ourselves  and  see  if  we  cannot  find  an  Achan,  an  accursed 
thing,  that  is  the  troubler  of  our  land  and  for  which  God  is  at  this  day  contending  with 
us.  Among  the  innumerable  evils,  that  abound  among  us  I  look  upon  the  oppression, 
bondage  and  slavery  exercised  upon  our  poor  brethren  the  Africans  to  be  a  God-provo- 
king and  a  wrath-procuring  sin.  I  call  them  brethren  because  God  has  told  us  so  in 
his  word  that  he  has  made  of  one  blood  all  nations,  that  dwell  on  the  earth.  They  are 
as  free  by  nature  as  we,  or  any  other  people  have  a  natural  right  to  liberty  and  freedom 
as  much  as  we  and  it  is  only  by  power  and  tyranny  that  they  are  brought  and  kept  UH- 


340  APPENDIX. 

der  this  cruel  yoke  of  bondage  and  this  iniquity  is  established  by  law  in  this  province 
and  although  there  have  been  some  feeble  attempts  made  to  break  the  yoke  and  set 
them  at  liberty  yet  the  thing  is  not  effected,  but  they  are  still  kept  under  the  cruel  yoke 
of  bondage. 

'Shall  we,  my  fathers  and  brethren,  or  can  we  lift  up  our  faces  with  confidence  before 
God,  by  solemn  prayer,  that  he  would  remove  the  yoke  of  bondage  from  us  and  set  us 
at  liberty  from  the  bondage  that  lays  upon  us,  while  we  keep  a  tenfold  heavier  yoke  on 
the  necks  of  our  brethren,  the  negroes?  I  confess  I  blush,  when  I  hear  of  a  proposal  for  a 
provincial  fast  (although  I  am  as  desirous  of  it  as  others)  when  I  read  the  fifty-eighth 
chapter  of  Isaiah,  where  the  people  are  represented  as  keeping  days  of  fasting  and 
prayer  and  yet  obtained  no  gracious  answer  from  God.  I  do  not  say  that  our  grievan- 
ces will  not  be  redressed  until  we  break  the  yoke  of  bondage  from  our  negroes'  necks, 
but  I  must  needs  say  I  do  not  expect  it.  But  that  we,  all  as  one,  may  be  enabled  to 
search  out  and  put  away  every  thing  from  among  us  whereby  God  is  dishonored  and 
offended,  to  break  every  yoke  of  oppression,  so  that  he  might  cause  light  to  rise  in 
obscurity,  is  I  trust  the  prayer  of  every  friend  to  New  England.  B.  C.' 

On  June  fifth,  1774,  two  discourses  on  liberty  were  delivered  at  the 
North  church  in  Newburyport,  by  Nathaniel  Niles,  M.  A.,  an  able  and 
zealous  advocate  for  emancipation.  These  discourses  were  printed  in 
a  pamphlet  of  thirty-eight  pages,  and  are  written  with  great  ability. 
In  his  preface,  the  author  says  that '  his  general  design  is  to  awaken  in 
his  countrymen  proper  sentiments  and  emotions  respecting  both  civil 
and  religious  liberty.  The  former  without  the  latter  is  but  a  body 
without  a  soul.'  His  texts  were  from  1  Corinthians,  chapter  7,  verse 
21,  and  John,  8  chapter,  verse  36.  From  the  sermon  on  civil  or  person- 
al liberty  I  take  the  following  extract. 

'  We  have  boasted  of  our  liberty  and  free  spirit.  A  free  spirit  is  no  more  inclined  to 
enslave  others  than  ourselves.  If  then  it  should  be  found  upon  examination  that  we 
have  been  of  a  tyrannical  spirit  in  a  free  country,  how  base  must  our  character  appear! 
And  how  many  thousands  of  thousands  have  been  plunged  into  death  and  slavery  by 
our  means ! 

'  When  the  servant  had  nothing  to  pay,  and  his  master  had  frankly  forgiven  him  all, 
and  he  had  gone  and  cast  his  fellow  servant  into  prison,  there  to  remain  till  he  should 
pay  the  last  farthing;  the  master  justly  punished  his  ingratitude  and  severity  with  the 
like  imprisonment.  Hath  not  our  conduct  very  nearly  resembled  the  conduct  of  that 
servant?  God  gave  us  liberty  and  we  have  enslaved  our  fellow  men.  May  we  not 
fear  that  the  law  of  retaliation  is  about  to  be  executed  on  us?  What  can  we  object 
against  it?  What  excuse  can  we  make  for  our  conduct?  What  reason  can  we  urge 
why  our  oppression  shall  not  be  returned  in  kind  ?  Should  the  Africans  see  God  Al- 
mighty subjecting  us  to  all  the  evils  we  have  brought  on  them,  and  should  they  cry  to 
us,  0  daughter  of  America,  who  art  to  be  destroyed,  happy  shall  he  be  that  rewardeth 
thee  as  thou  hast  served  us;  happy  shall  he  be  that  taketh  and  dasheth  thy  little  ones 
against  the  stones ;  how  could  we  object  ?  How  could  we  resent  it  ?  Would  we  enjoy 
liberty  ?  Then  we  must  grant  it  to  others.  For  shame,  let  us  either  cease  to  enslave 
our  fellow  men,  or  else  let  us  cease  to  complain  of  those,  that  would  enslave  us.  Let 
us  either  wash  our  hands  from  blood,  or  never  hope  to  escape  the  avenger.' 

In  the  Essex  Journal  and  New  Hampshire  Packet  of  March  eighth, 
1776,  I  find  the  following  letter,  addressed  to ,  and  was  '  in- 
serted by  desire  of  some  of  the  customers '  of  the  paper. 

'Newbury,  September  16th,  1775. 
(  Dear  sir, 

'  As  the  judgments  of  God  are  a  great  deep,  and  the  footsteps,  or  designs  of  his 
providence  are  not  fully  known  to  us,  so  I  think  it  becomes  us  to  study  sobriety,  and 
fear  in  the  application  of  the  same.  But  when  the  Lord  doth  so  clearly  reveal  himself, 
and  shew  forth  such  an  evident  resemblance  between  men's  sin  and  their  stroke  of 
correction  as  he  doth  at  this  day;  I  think  it  cryeth  aloud  fora  serious  observing  thereof. 
And  I  beg  leave  to  say  that  the  calamitous  distressed  circumstances  we  are  in  at  this 
day.  in  my  apprehension,  do  bear  such  a  resemblance  with  our  notorious  crime,  that  be 
that  runs  may  read  ;  I  mean  the  oppression  of  our  brethren  the  negroes ;  a  crime  so 


APPENDIX.  341 

unscriptural  and  unreasonable  that  I  should  be  ready  to  think  that  every  rational  person, 
and  especially  every  Christian  American  would  detest  the  thought  of  keeping  their 
brethren  in  bondage ;  especially  when  they  themselves  are  struggling  for  liberty,  and 
deliverance  from  oppression  brought  upon  them  by  their  brethren.  But  such  is  the 
infatuation,  with  which  this  idol  god,  gain,  has  overcome  this  people  ;  that  although 
we  unitedly  say,  we  will  spill  our  blood,  and  lose  our  lives  in  the  defence  of  liberty  ; 
yet  we  don't  grant  it  to  those  poor  oppressed  brethren  of  ours,  who  have  been  under 
the  yoke  of  slavery  (themselves  and  their  ancestors)  this  one  hundred  years  past; 
think  sir,  if  you  please,  how  inconsistent  your  practice  is  with  your  profession,  how 
long  halt  you  between  twro  opinions,  if  oppression  and  slavery  be  right,  why  do  you 
fight  against  it ?  but,  if  it  be  wrong  why  do  you  allow  of  it  1  —  Happy  is  he  saith  the 
'apostle  Paul  that  condemneth  not  himself  in  that  thing  which  he  alloweth  Rom.  14, 
22.  But  here  I  must  make  an  apology,  for  I  write  not  to  you  sir,  as  an  individual  that 
approves  of,  or  practices  this  detestable  crime  yourself,  for"  I  never  heard  you  did  either; 
but  I  write  to  you  as  a  member  of  our  honorable  general  court,  by  whom  this  idolatry 
should  be  thrown  down,  and  a  reformation  take  place  by  the  authority  of  that  legislative 
power.  I  call  it  idolatry  because  covetousness  which  is  at  the  bottom  of  it,  and  by 
which  it  is  maintained,  is  idolatry;  so  says  the  apostle  Paul,  Coll.  3.  5.  mortify  your 
members,  your  members  which  are  upon  the  earth,  fornication,  and  so  forth  and  so 
forth  and  covetousness  which  is  idolatry.  Here  I  would  say  the  covetous  man  does 
not  believe  his  money  to  be  God;  but  by  his  inordinate  love  of  it,  and  trusting  in  it, 
he  is  as  truly  guilty  of  idolatry  as  if  he  bow'd  his  knee  to  it;  for  God  more  regards  the 
internal  acts  of  the  mind,  than  he  doth  the  external  acts  of  the  body.  In  like  manner 
the  idolatrous  papists  do  not  believe  the  saints  and  angels  to  be  gods,  but  by  praying  to 
them,  and  trusting  in  them  for  relief  and  help,  they  give  them  the  inward  worship  of 
the  soul,  which  is  idolatry.  As  to  what  any  man  may  say  in  vindication  of  slavery, 
upon  that  text  in  Leviticus  25,  45.46,  you  may  buy  of  the  children  of  the  strangers, 
and  so  forth  —  I  refer  you  to  what  I  have  published  in  the  Newbury-Port  paper  in  July 
1774,  upon  that  subject  for  an  answer.  But  to  go  on  sir,  some  ignorant  persons  may  be 
ready  to  object  and  say  these  negroes  are  men's  private  property,  their  masters  have 
bought  them  with  their  money,  and  such  men  traders  may  think  it  would  be  wrong  for 
the  general  court  to  deprive  them  of  their  property;  this  is  taking  men's  estates  from 
them,  say  they;  —  good  God!  what  do  such  men  mean?  to  talk  of  private  property  in 
the  human  species,  creatures  made  in  the  image  of  God  and  endowed,  with  all  the 
rational  faculties  and  immortal  principles  as  we  are,  and  differing  in  nothing  from  us 
except  in  color  and  education,  to  call  such  people,  men  and  women  private  property, 
shocking  indeed  to  a  human  mind!  What  if  I  had  bought  you  sir,  of  some  person  that 
pretended  a  right  to  sell  you,  and  had  paid  a  large  sum  of  money  for  you,  and  kept  you 
still  in  slavery  and  bondage,  and  should  plead  the  authority  of  the  general  court,  and 
the  common  and  constant  custom  of  the  people  in  behalf  of  my  conduct  towards  you, 
would  ycru  not  be  ready  to  curse  that  body  that  maintained  such  a  law,  or  indulged  one 
man  to  act  so  unreasonably  towards  another?  —  Matthew  7,  12.  Therefore  all  things 
whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  do  unto  you,  do  ye  even  so  them.  I  must  need  say  I 
wonder,  notwithstanding  all  the  prejudices  people  labour  under  through  long  custom, 
and  a  gainful  practice  in  this  man  trade,  that  their  eyes  are  not  opened  so  as  to  lay  it 
aside,  especially  when  God  in  his  providence  so  plainly  testifies  against  it  as  he  does 
at  this  day.  Will  not  Joseph's  brethren  (Gen.  42,  21,)  rise  up  in  judgment  against  us, 
who  when  they  were  brought  into  distressing  circumstances,  humbly  confessed,  'we 
are  verily  guilty  concerning  our  brother,  in  that  we  saw  the  anguish  of  his  soul  when 
he  besought  us.  and  we  would  not  hear,  therefore  is  this  distress  come  upon  us.'  Will 
not  Adonibezek  (recorded  judges  17,)  rise  up  in  judgment  and  condemn  us?  who  said 
1  threescore  and  ten  kings  having  their  thumbs  and  great  toes  cut  off,  gathered  their 
meat  under  my  table,  as  I  have  done  so  God  hath  requited  me.'  Shall  heathens,  and 
such  as  never  had  the  advantages  that  we  have  had,  see  and  generously  acknowledge 
their  sins  against  God  and  their  fellow  creatures,  (for  sin  is  the  cause  of  natural  as  well 
as  moral  evil)  and  shall  we  who  have  the  clear  light  of  the  gospel  refuse  to  confess 
ours  ?  God  forbid !  let  us  bethink  ourselves,  let's  attend  to  the  groans  of  these  enslaved 
people ;  I  doubt  not  but  their  complaints  have  reached  Heaven,  and  whatever  others 
think,  I  believe  God  is  coming  down  to  deliver  them.  Woe  to  us  if  wre  withhold  them 
when  God  challenges  them  as  his.  But  methinks  I  hear  some  say,  we  believe  the 
British  troops  are  near  taking  their  departure,  and  then  we  hope  to  live  in  peace  and 
safety,  and  to  possess  and  enjoy  as  we  did  before  they  came.  But  stop  my  friends, 
your  rejoycing; —  God's  arm  is  strong,  he  has  many  arrows  in  his  quiver;  if  the  con- 
troversy between  him  and  us  be  not  taken  up,  we  have  reason  still  to  fear,  for  he  has 
his  choice  of  all  his  manifold  judgments,  to  punish  a  stubborn  incorrigible  people  by. 
Did  the  Almighty  bring  ten  dreadful  plagues  upon  Egypt  before  Pharaoh  would  let  his 
slaves  go  ?  witness  the  consequence.  Did  he  also  punish  the  children  of  Israel  with 


342  APPENDIX. 

seventy  years  captivity  in  Babylon,  to  cure  them  of  their  idolatry  ?  and  did  he  ever 
take  up  his  rod  of  correction,  and  exercise  it  upon  any  people,  and  lay  it  down  without 
accomplishing  his  design?  And  will  he  now  think  you,  let  us  go  till  he  has  brought 
us  to  his  terms?  His  commands  and  demands  are  plain  in  the  58th  chapter  of  Isaiah, 
viz.  loose  the  bands  of  wickedness,  undo  the  heavy  burdens,  let  the  oppressed  go  free, 
and  break  every  yoak,  &c.  To  which  the  gracious  promise  is  connected,  viz.  then  shall 
ye  call,  and  the  Lord  shall  answer,  thou  shall  cry,  and  he  shall  say  here  am  I.  Has 
not  our  great  Superintendant  permitted  a  formidable  host  to  come  against  us,  with  all 
their  dreadful  artillery  of  war  ?  Has  he  not  at  the  same  time  made  our  army  a  defence 
to  us,  and  a  terror  to  our  enemies,  and  withheld  the  sword  from  going  thro'  the  land  ? 
I'm  persuaded  sir,  you  are  ready  to  ascribe  our  preservations  and  salvations  to  the  most 
High.  Shall  not  the  merciful  interpositions  of  Providence  excite  in  us  gratitude  to 
God,  our  kind  preserver;  but,  let  us  at  the  same  time  search  and  see  wherefore  he  thus 
contendeth  with  us.  And  here  the  divine  word  is  plain  forour  conviction,  viz.  Revela- 
tions 13,  10,  He  that  leadeth  into  captivity  shall  go  into  captivity,  he  that  killeth  with 
the  sword  must  be  killed  with  the  sword.*  God  is  mercifully  at  present  holding  back 
the  s\vord  from  going  through  the  Land,  and  waiting  to  see  what  wre  will  do ;  he  seems 
unwilling  to  execute  judgment  on  us.  Pray  let  us  return  to  him,  for  if  we  do  not 
speedily  put  away  the  violence  that  is  in  our  hands  and  let  the  oppressed  go  free,  I 
dread  the  next  stroke.  The  poor  oppressed  negroes  are  waiting  with  wishful  expecta- 
tions that  the  Almighty  in  this  day  of  our  calamity  will  open  our  eyes  and  set  them 
at  liberty.  God  grant  it  may  be  so  for  his  name's  sake  and  for  this  land's  sake. 

'  But,  sir,  you  may  be  readily  too  hastily  to  conclude  from  this  writing  that  my  mind 
is  so  fastened  upon  the  slave  trade,  as  if  it  were  the  only  crime  that  we  were  charge- 
able with,  or  that  God  was  chastening  us  for.  As  I  have  said  before,  so  say  I  again, 
our  transgressions  are  multiplied  but  yet  this  crime  is  more  particularly  pointed  at 
than  any  other.  Was  Boston  the  first  port  on  this  continent  that  began  the  slave  trade, 
and  are  they  not  the  first  shut  up  by  an  oppressive  act,  and  brought  almost  to  desola- 
tion, wherefore,  sir,  tho'  we  may  not  be  peremptory  in  applying  the  judgments  of  God, 
yet  I  cannot  pass  over  such  providences  without  a  remark.  But  to  conclude.  I  entreat 
and  beseech  you  by  all  the  love  you  have  for  this  town,  by  all  the  regard  you  have  for 
this  distressed,  bleeding  province,  as  for  the  American  colonies  in  general,  that  you 
exert  yourself,  and  improve  your  utmost  endeavours  at  the  court  to  obtain  a  discharge 
for  the  slaves  from  their  bondage.  If  this  was  done,  I  should  expect  speedy  deliverance 
to  arise  to  us,  but  if  this  oppression  is  still  continued  and  maintained  by  authority,  1 
can  only  say,  my  soul  shall  weep  in  secret  places  for  that  crime. 

'  I  am,  Sir,  your  friend  and  humble  servant, 

BENJAMIN   COLMAN.' 

In  the  records  of  the  church  at  Byfield,  there  is  a  long  account  of  a 
controversy  between  the  reverend  Moses  Parsons  and  deacon  Benja- 
min Colman,  on  the  subject  of  slavery.  From  this  account  it  appears 
that  on  the  twenty-first  of  December,  1780,  a  church  meeting  was 
held  to  hear  the  charges  made  against  Mr  Colman  by  Mr.  Parsons, 
and  the  complaint  of  Mr.  Colman  against  Mr.  Parsons.  The  articles 
of  charge  were  three  :  first,  '  that  Mr.  Parsons  was  guilty  of  the  wicked 
practice  of  man-stealing,'  second,  '  that  deacon  Colman  had  repeatedly 
called  him  a  thief/  and  third,  'that  he  had  offered  to  sell  [Violet]  his 
slave,  (as  he  called  her)  for  a  large  sum  of  money.' 

In  subsequent  meetings,  held  January  twenty-ninth,  February 
twelfth,  and  March  twelfth,  1781,  the  church  sustained  the  pastor,  and 
at  the  last  meeting,  suspended  deacon  Colman  '  from  the  fellowship 
and  communion  of  the  church  till  he  does  by  repentance  and  confession 
give  Christian  satisfaction  for  the  offence  he  had  committed.'  July 
tenth,  1782,  another  attempt  was  made,  and  November  third,  1784,  a 
council  was  called,  to  settle  the  difficulty,  but  without  success.  As 
Mr.  Parsons  deceased  the  eleventh  of  December,  1783,  nothing  further 
was  done,  till  the  church  had  another  meeting  June  thirtieth,  1784.  On 

*  Thus  saith  the  Lord  by  the  Prophet,  if  ye  walk  contrary  unto  me,  I  also  will  walk 
contrary  unto  you ;  with  the  froward  he  will  shew  himself  froward,  and  with  the  up- 
right he  will  shew  himself  upright. 


APPENDIX.  343 

the  twenty-sixth  of  October,  1785,  the  deacon  was  restored  to  the 
church  on  his  acknowledgment  '  that  in  his  treatment  of  the  reverend 
Moses  Parsons  the  late  worthy  pastor  of  the  church,  that  he  urged  his 
arguments  against  the  slavery  of  the  Africans  with  excessive  vehemence 
and  asperity  without  showing  a  due  concern  for  his  character  and 
usefulness  as  an  elder,  or  the  peace  and  edification  of  the  church,'  and 
so  forth,  and  so  forth. 

The  three  following  communications  are  a  sufficiently  full  expression 
of  deacon  Colman's  views  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  and  need  no 
comment  or  explanation. 

1  The  Declaration  and  Testimony  of  Benjamin  Colman,  together  with  his  Complaint 
against  the  Reverend  Moses  Parsons,  pastor  of  the  Church  in  Byfield  is  as  follows. 

1  Viz.  That  God  has  a  controversy  with  the  people  of  this  Land  I  suppose  no  judi- 
cious person  will  pretend  to  deny;  The  bloody,  dreadful  sword  of  War  has  been  drawn 
against  us  by  our  brethren,  and  has  prevailed  for  more  than  five  years ;  whereby  great 
numbers  of  our  brethren  the  inhabitants  of  this  Land  have  been  slain,  many  Towns 
made  desolate,  the  Dwelling  places  of  our  people  consumed  by  fire,  the  Inhabitants, 
many  of  them,  Slaughtered,  and  others  driven  away  and  reduced  to  extream  poverty 
and  sore  distress.  The  widows  and  fatherless  are  multiplied  amongst  us  and  the  hand 
of  God  lies  heavy  upon  us  still.  The  hand  of  God  is  lifted  up;  the  War  continues; 
our  enemies  are  powerful  and  numerous;  and  they,  flushed  with  their  success,  are  ex- 
pecting shortly  to  make  a  compleat  conquest  of  America;  and  if  God  don't  appear  for 
us  and  stop  their  progress,  we  may  rationally  expect  they  will  conquer  our  country. 
It  is  time  for  us  to  look  about  us,  to  search  and  try  our  ways,  to  consider  what  we  have 
done  to  provoke  our  God,  to  send  our  unprovoked  brethren,  and  make  them  his  severe 
rod  of  correction  to  chastise  us  in  this  manner. 

1  We  have  been  called  upon,  by  our  Continental  Congress,  to  humble  our  selves  be- 
fore God  by  fasting  and  prayer,  to  implore  the  mercy,  and  help  of  our  God,  that  we 
may  be  delivered  out  of  the  hands  of  our  cruel  Oppressors.  We  have  observed  those 
days  set  apart  for  prayer  in  the  manner  we  have  done.  But  as  acts  of  Justice  and 


oppressed  go  free,  and  break  every  yoke.'  When  we  keep  such  a  fast  as  he  has  pre- 
scribed/then  we  may  call  and  the  Lord  will  answer.  Then  shall  our  light  rise  in  Ob- 
scurity; then  may  we  cry  and  he  will  say  here  I  am,  &c.  for  the  Lord  has  promised  to 
do  so ;  and  his  Word  stands  firmer  than  heaven  and  earth. 

'  I  confess  the  Continental  Congress  have  taken  one  good  step  towards  reformation ; 
as  they  have  come  into  a  resolution  not  to  import  any  more  slaves.  But  still  the  bands 
of  Wickedness  are  not  loosed;  many  thousands  of  this  poor  oppressed  people  are  held 
down  under  oppression  by  Tyranny.  And  as  we  have  come  into  a  partial  reformation, 
so  the  Lord  has  granted  a  partial  deliverance;  but  as  we  have  stayed  our  hand  as  to  a 
thorough  reformation,  so  he  has  stayed  his  hand  from  granting  us  compleat  Deliver- 
ance; his  Word  is  fulfilled,  as  he  has  said,  'with  the  froward  he  will  shew  himself  fro- 
ward,  and  with  the  upright  he  will  shew  himself  upright.'  And  can  we  wonder  that 
God  shuts  out  our  prayer,  and  turns  a  deaf  ear  to  our  cries  for  help  against  our  foes  ? 
Our  Land  is  defiled  with  blood,  we  have  slain  many  of  our  brethren,  in  taking  and 
captivating  them  ;  and  our  fingers  with  iniquity  in  making  merchandise  of  others:  we 
have  committed  violence  upon  our  brethren ;  and  violence  is  still  in  our  hands.  We 
have  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  cries  of  the  oppressed;  and  this  law  which  supports  Op- 
pression reaches  through  the  whole  of  these  United  States.  The  Slaves  in  this  State 
have  petitioned  for  Liberty  and  Freedom  from  bondage,  since  our  Troubles  began,  in 
the  most  importunate  and  humble  manner;  yet  they  are  not  set  free  in  a  general  way. 
We  have  taken  them,  by  cruel  hands;  rending  parents  from  children,  and  children  from 
parents;  and,  by  violence,  brought  them  from  their  own  native  country,  (the  Land  that 
their  God,  and  our  God,  had  given  them  to  possess  and  enjoy,)  and  subjected  them  to 
the  most  abject  slavery  and  bondage.  Magistrates,  Ministers,  and  common  people  have 
had  a  hand  in  this  Iniquitous  Trade. 

'  But  in  order  to  open  people's  eyes  to  see  the  horridness  of  this  Man-trade,  this  Op- 
pression and  cruelty  that  has  been  exercised  on  our  brethren,  I  beg  leave  to  give  a  short 
sketch  of  the  way  and  manner  how  our  people  come  by  these  slaves,  when  they  trans- 
port them  from  their  own  country. 

'  And  the  account  I  shall  give  shall  be  from  printed  histories  concerning  the  carrying 


344  APPENDIX. 


on  of  this  slave-trade  and  these  historical  accounts.  I  have  had  confirmed  by  persons 
that  have  been  eye-witnesses  to  these  horrid  transactions  upon  the  spot.  And  it  is  as 
follows.  When  a  ship  of  ours  arrives  in  one  of  their  harbours,  some  of  the  people 
there  come  on  board  the  ship,  and  ask  what  they  want  ?  They  tell  them  they  want  a 
cargo  of  slaves.  They  ask  the  master  what  he  has  to  pay  for  them  ?  he  shews  them 
Wine,  Brandy,  Rum,  Clothing,  fire  arms,  and  ammunition;  as  they  carry  all  such  arti- 
cles as  they  know  are  most  tempting  to  those  people.  And  when  they  have  agreed 
upon  a  price,  by  the  head,  or  poll ;  they  furnish  out  a  company  with  arms  and  ammu- 
nition, to  go  and  take  a  sufficient  number  of  captives  to  load  their  ship.  So  they  go 
out  into  their  country,  some  twenty,  some  thirty,  sometimes  more  than  sixty  miles;  say 
my  authors,  till  they  come  to  little,  defenceless  towns  and  villages  Inhabited  by  these 
poor  defenceless  people;  and  there  they  take  as  many,  and  of  such  an  age  as  they  like; 
others  they  slaughter  without  compassion  to  age  or  sex.  The  strong  ones  they  confine 
with  Irons:  the  younger  ones  they  bind  with  cords;  and  drive  them  before  them  in 
droves  to  the  Sea  port;  where  they  have  a  great  Pound  built  to  confine  them  till  the 
Ship  is  ready  to  take  them.  In  this  situation,  say  my  authors,  some  are  so  dismayed, 
at  the  thoughts  of  what  they  are  coming  to,  that  they  refuse  to  eat  what  they  feed  them 
with  ;  and  choose  to  die  there  rather  than  live  such  a  life  as  they  expect.  When  their 
keepers  perceive  them  refuse  to  eat,  they  sometimes  take  one,  and  torture  him,  or  her 
before  the  rest ;  sometimes  they  kill  one.  and  cut  him  to  pieces  before  their  eyes ;  and 
tell  the  others  they  will  do  so  to  them,  if  they  will  not  eat. 

'  Wrhen  the  ship  is  ready  they  carry  them  on  board  with  their  boats :  some  try  to 
throw  themselves  overboard  and  drown,  and  so  forth.  Those  they  get  on  board  they 
thrust  into  the  hold  of  the  ship, fasten  them  in,  and  feed  them  with  something  to  support 
their  lives  during  the  passage ;  there  they  lie,  in  their  filth  and  stench,  till  the  ship 
arrives  at  her  home. 

'  Some  ships  bring  one  hundred,  some  one  hundred  and  fifty,  and  some  near  two 
hundred  of  these  poor  people  at  once.  Upon  taking  them  out,  they  commonly  find  ten, 
fifteen,  or  twenty  dead  in  the  hold,  and  often  a  number  of  children  born  on  their  passage, 
some  dead,  and  some  alive.  But  this  is  not  all ;  there  is  What  they  call  seasoning,  to 
fit  these  wretched  mortals  for  severe  slavery,  to  be  done  to  them  yet ;  and  their  method 
is  to  feed  them  with  coarse  and  mean  food,  a  scant  allowance,  to  try  and  prove  their 
constitutions ;  in  this  experiment  many  of  them  die ;  so  that  the  merchants  that 
import  them  lay  their  accounts  thus,  viz.  if  six  in  ten  live  through  their  transportation 
and  seasoning,  they  make  a  saving  voyage.  And  now  they  sell  these  poor  people  to 
any  one  that  will  give  them  the  most  money  for  them. 

'  Horrid  manstealing  !  sordid  gain  !  violent  oppression  and  cruelty ! 

'  And  has  this  deadful,  this  horrid  practice  been  supported,  or  tolerated  by  the  law  of 
this  land  through  the  United  States  of  America  for  twenty  years  past  ?  and  are  there 
not  many  thousands  of  these  wretched  mortals,  in  this  land,  under  the  cruel  yoke  of 
oppression  at  this  day  ?  What  shall  we  say  for  ourselves  as  a  people  1  are  not  our 
hands  defiled  with  blood  ?  and  our  fingers  with  iniquity  ?  and  how  can  we  with 
confidence,  lift  up  our  prayer,  to  that  God,  who  is  a  God  of  knowledge,  and  by  whom 
actions  are  weighed,  for  deliverance  from  oppression,  till  we  have  loosed  the  bands  of 
wickedness,  proclaimed  liberty  to  our  captives,  and  let  the  oppressed  go  free  ?  do  not 
our  crimes  stare  us  in  the  face  ?  and  is  not  our  God  rising  up  out  of  his  holy  place,  to 
retaliate  our  doings  upon  us?  is  he  not  laying  righteousness  to  the  line,  and  judgement 
to  the  plummet  1  Three,  if  not  four,  of  our  states  are  already  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
our  cruel  enemies ;  and  we  have  no  reason  to  expect  but  that  the  rest  will  shortly  fall 
a  prey  to  them,  if  repentance  and  reformation  do  n't  prevent  it.  Had  we  taken  these 
slaves  captives  in  a  just  war  with  them,  we  might  have  had  some  excuse  for  our 
doings  ;  but  now  we  have  none  :  for  as  they  never  molested  us,  our  sin  of  oppression  is 
aggravated;  and  God  is  now  requiting  blood  for  blood,  oppression  for  oppression, 
according  to  his  Word.  Revelations  13,  10th,  he  that  leadeth  into  captivity,  shall  go 
into  captivity.;  he  that  killeth  with  the  sword,  must  be  killed  with  the  sword. 

'  And  now,  reverend  sir,  I  entreat  your  candid  attention  to  what  I  have  to  offer  to  you, 
at  this  time,  by  way  of  complaint;  the  substance  of  which  I  have  offered  to  you  as 
my  grievous  complaint  for  many  years  in  private.  And  as  these  grievances  increase 
upon  my  mind,  and  our  iniquities  of  this  kind  stare  us  in  the  face,  and  as  the  Lord,  by 
his  severe  corrections,  seems  to  point  directly  to  this  our  sin  of  unrighteousness, 
oppression  and  violence  upon  our  brethren  :  I  think  I  may  be  allow'd  to  speak  my  mind 
without  giving  just  cause  of  offence,  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  oppressed,  .to  bear  my 

as  the  CAPITAL  SIN 
although  I  am 
sensible  our  transgressions  are  multiplied,  I  think  that  this  sin  of  oppression  and 


APPENDIX.  345 

violence,  is  more  peculiarly  pointed  at  than  any  other,  in  the  dispensations  of  providence. 
But  here  I  would  first  observe,  that  in  applying  the  judgements  of  God  to  a  person  or 
people,  it  becomes  us  to  be  modest,  and  cautious ;  as  it  may  sometimes  happen  to  wicked 
men  according  to  the  work  of  the  righteous.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  sure  truth 
that  God  is  known  by  the  judgements  he  executes ;  and  in  every  age  he  doth  point  out 
sin  to  the  world,  by  some  remarkable  strokes,  some  great  examples  of  judgements 
wherein  men  may  read  their  sin  in  their  punishment ;  as  in  the  case  of  Adoni-bezek 
Judges  1st,  7th  and  Ahab  1  Kings  21,  and  others. 

•  You  tell  us,  sir,  and  I  think  very  truly,  that  God  has  no  unmeaning  providences  ; 
that  judgements  tread  on  the  heels  of  sin  ;  pray,  sir,  what  meaning  do  you  affix  to 
God's  designs  in  bringing  this  judgement  of  violent  oppression  upon  us  by  the  hand 
of  our  brethren,  if  it  be  not  to  convince  and  humble  us  for  the  like  violent  oppres- 
sion on  our  brethren  ?  When  there  is  so  plain,  sa,  exact  a  resemblance,  between 
a  people's  sin  and  God's  judgements,  I  think  it  would  be  an  argument  of  stupidity  in 
us  not  to  apply  them  to  our  selves.  You  tell  us  that  unbelief  is  the  Damning  sin  under 
the  Gospel:  I  grant  the  truth  of  it:  but  pray,  sir,  What  resemblance,  or  connection  is 
there,  between  the  sin  of  unbelief,  and  the  Sword  of  violent  oppression  by  our  brethren, 
to  take  away  our  money,  and  deprive  us  of  all  our  temporal  enjoyments  ?  No,  Sir,  the 
present  Dispensation  points  us  to  a  Sin  against  the  Second  table,  viz.  against  our 
neighbour,  our  brethren :  for  thus  stands  the  Controversy,  they  Demand  our  properties; 
we  tell  them  we  will  not  Yield  up  our  rights ;  We  will  not  be  Slaves  to  them  ;  for 
Liberty  and  property  are  our  Just  rights ;  we  will  die  Sooner  than  we  will  be  Slaves. 
Well,  if  liberty  and  property  are  so  valuable  to  us.  are  they  not  as  valuable  to  our  Neighbours? 

'As  to  the  toleration  granted,  by  Moses,  at  God's  direction  to  the  Jews  of  old,  viz. 
that  they  might  buy  of  the  heathen  Captives,  and  keep  them  as  their  Inheritance,  I 
have  answered  it  before  in  the  publick  newspapers,  and  so  need  not  to  mention  it  here. 

'  And  now,  Reverend  Sir,  I  would  humbly  ask,  have  you  had  no  hand  in  this  Iniquitous, 
Man-stealing,  or  Slave-trade?  have  you  not  bought  divers  of  these  people  for  money  ; 
(people  made  of  the  same  flesh  and  blood  with  yourself  and  your  Children:)  And  kept 
them  in  Bondage  ?  One  of  Which,  if  I  Mistake  not,  you  have  Baptized,  and  received 
as  a  Member  of  the  Church  of  Byfield;  And  Afterwards  offered  to  Sell  the  Same  Slave 
for  a  large  sum  of  money.  Pray,  Sir,  is  this  teaching  the  way  of  Righteousness  ?  is 
this  doing  as  you  would  be  done  by  ?  is  this  practising  the  great  command  of  our 
Redeemer,  according  to  that  Sacred  rule  of  equity  Delivered  by  our  Saviours  own 
mouth,  Matthew  7  :  12,  Therefore  all  things  Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should 
do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them;  for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets'?  have  you  never 
attended  to  what  our  Redeemer  has  told  you,  in  that  Same  Memorable  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  Matthew  5:  19,  Whosoever  shall  break  one  of  the  least  ot  these  Commands;  and 
shall  teach'men  so,  shall  be  called  the  least  in  the  Kingdom  of  heaven  ?  and  can  you  say, 
Sir,  that  you  have  not  violated  that  Sacred  universal  rule?  and  have  you  not  taught 
others  to  do  so.  by  your  example  ?  have  vou  considered  that  text  in  Corinthians  6  : 
9th,  know  ye  not  that  the  unrighteous  shall  not  inherit  the  Kingdom  of  God  '(  have 
you  been  so  long  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  and  not  learnt  Righteousness  ?  Pray,  Sir, 
look  on  that  text,  Jeremiah  22  :  13,  Wo  unto  him  that  buildeth  his  house  by  Unright- 
eousness, and  his  Chambers  by  Wrong;  that  useth  his  Neighbour's  Service  without 
Wages,  and  giveth  him  not  for  his  Work.  Has  not  this  been  your  practice,  as  you  have 
kept  Slaves  ?  I  beseech  you.  Sir,  to  consider  who  these  men-stealers  are  Ranked  with, 
whom  We  rind  in  the  first  EpistleMo  Timothy  first  Chapter  and  ninth  verse,  for  the 
law  was  not  made  for  the  Righteous,  but  for  the  ungodly,  and  for  Sinners,  and  so  ibrth, 
for  murderers  of  fathers,  and  murderers  of  mothers,  for  man-slayers,  for  manstealeis, 
and  so  forth.  Here  we  find  man-stealers  Ranked  amongst  the  most  enormous  crimes 
that  Scripture  gives  us  any  account  of.  But,  Sir,  this  Wicked  practice  of  yours  is  not 
all  that  I  Complain  of;  I  inlreat  you  to  consider  the  melancholy  Consequences  of  this 
your  practice ;  for  hereby,  you  have  rendred  your  self  incapable  of  discharging  the 
duty  of  a  faithful  Watchman  ;  for  your  mouth  is  shut;  you  ca  n't  reprove  others,  or 
bear  publick  testimony  against  this  horrid  crime,  without  condemning  your  self,  and 
your  own  practice;  so  that  others,  by  your  neglect  are  hardened  in  their  Sin,  and 
emboldened  to  commit  the  like.  I  pray  you  sir,  to  consider  what  the  Lord  Saith  by 
the  Prophet  Ezekiel  Chapter  33,  verses  2d  and  downward.  Son  of  man,  Speak  to 
the  Children  of  thy  people,  and  say  unto  them,  When  I  bring  the  Sword  upon  the  land, 
if  the  people  of  the  Land  take  a  man  of  their  coasts  and  set  him  for  their  Watchman, 
and  so  forth,  and  so  forth,  if  the  watchman  see  the  Sword  come,  and  blow  not  the 
trumpet,  and  the  people  be  not  warned,  if  the  Sword  come  and  take  any  person  from 
among  them,  he  is  taken  away  in  his  iniquity,  but  his  blood  will  I  require  at  the 
Watchman's  hands.  O,  Sir!  are  you  not  set  for  a  Watchman  in  this  place,  and  for  the 
people  of  this  Land  ?  and  have  you  ever  blown  the  trumpet  to  give  warning  of  this  horrid 
Sin  of  Manstealing;  this  Capital  Sin  of  this  people,  for  which  our  Land  bleeds  aud 

44 


346  APPENDIX. 

mourns  at  -this  day  ?  is  not  the  hand  of  God  lifted  up  ?  and  does  he  not  threaten  to 
retaliate  and  visit  our  Iniquities  of  this  kind  upon  this  people?  And  do  you  keep 
Silence,  and  not  call  upon  this  people  to  put  away  the  violence  that  is  in  their  hands  ? 
And  do  you,  Sir,  when  you  view  the  dispensations  of  'providence,  at  this  day,  acquit 
your  self  as  a  faithful  Watchman  ? 

'  But  if  you  Say  you  do  not  view  this  iniquitous  practice  in  the  Same  light  that  I, 
and  others  do,  I  pray  you  to  look  into  the  fourteenth  Chapter  of  Ezekiel,  where  the 
Lord  Saith  by  that  prophet,  if  any  man  come  to  enquire  of  the  Lord  having  the 
Stumbling  block  of  his  iniquity  before  his  face  ;  I.  the  Lord  will  answer  that  man  by 
my  self.  I  intreat  you  to  consider  whether  this  Stumbling  block  of  your  Iniquity,  has 
not  blinded  your  eyes ;  and,  if  so,  are  you  a  Qualified  Waichman  ?  I  confess,  Sir,  you 
cry  aloud  against  Some  Sins;  If  men  ask  or  take  an  exorbitant  price  for  their  Corn, 
Meat,  Butter,  or  Wood  and  so  forth,  you  say  'is  this  doing  as  you  would  be  done  by  ? 
is  this  loving  your  Neighbour  as  your  self?'  But  When  men  buy  or  Sell  their  brethren, 
(for  I  confess  I  know  not  Which  is  the  most  criminal,  'the  buyer,  or  the  Seller,)  and 
make  merchandise  of*human  flesh,  here  you  are  silent !  and  why,  but  for  the  reason 
given  above,  that  is  you  are  afraid  to  condemn  your  self? 

'  And  should  you  plead,  Sir,  the  Law  of  the  land,  or  the  practice  of  the  people,  as  an 
excuse  in  your  favour;  I  answer,  that  neither  the  Law  of  the  land,  nor  the  commonness 
of  the  people's  practice  in  this  affair,  alters  the  nature  of  the  Ciime  at  all:  for  that 
which  is  Wrong  in  its  own  nature,  can  never  be  made  right  by  any  law  or  practice  of 
men.  But,  to  conclude  at  this  time,  tho'  more  might  be  said  against  this  wicked  prac- 
tice, I  intreat  you  to  consider  What  the  Word  of  God  Says;  but  if  you  refuse  still  to 
hearken,  I  can  only  Say  my  soul  shall  weep  in  Secret  places  for  you,  and  the  people  of 
this  bleeding  Land.  I  am,  Reverend  Sir  your  humble  Servant, 

'  BENJAMIN   COLMAN. 

'  By  field  in  Newbury,  November  7th,  1780.' 

Deacon  Colman's  letter  to  a  Church  member  for  selling  a  slave. 

'  Newbury,  February  9th,  17S2. 

'  Dear  Sir, 

'  As  the  affair  I  now  write  to  you  upon  has  been  talked  over  between  us  from 
year  you  are  no  stranger  to  my  sentiments  on  this  subject;  but  although  I  have  been 
unsuccessful  with  you  as  to  your  conviction  of  your  error,  I  don't  despair  of  success 
now.  The  subject  is  interesting,  yea  of  the  last  importance  to  you  ;  for  if  you  are 
condemned  at  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Judge  of  right  and  wrong,  you  must  know  there 
is  no  appeal  and  no  repealing  his  sentence.  Therefore  in  the  bowels  of  love,  and  in 
tender  compassion  to  your  immortal  soul,  I  beseech  you  to  give  me  leave,  not  only  as 
a  fellow  mortal  with  you,  but  as  a  brother  in  covenant,  and  fellow  servant,  who  ex- 
pects to  stand  at  that  tremendous  bar,  and  hear  my  own  sentence  and  yours  from  the 
mouth  of  Jesus  Christ,  at  whose  tribunal  we  must  all  appear  and  answer  for  all  our 
conduct  here. 

'  The  sacred  text,  which  I  make  the  subject  of  my  present  argument  with  you,  is  re- 
corded in  the  eighteenth  of  St.  Matthew's  gospel  from  the  twenty-third  verse  to  the 
end  of  said  chapter,  which  I  entreat  you  to  read  with  attention  and  application  to 
yourself. 

'  I  have  inserted  the  parable  at  large,  because  I  am  very  desirous  to  draw  your  atten- 
tion to  the  subject  as  I  look  upon  you  as  peculiarly  concerned  in  it.  1  am  one  of  your 
fellow  servants  that  am  very  sorry  for  what  you  have  done :  and  in  love  to  your  im- 
mortal soul,  in  faithfulness  to  my  covenant-obligations  to  you  as  a  brother,  I  give  you 
this  warning,  and  now  humbly  ask  you  to  view  this  parable  and  think  with  yourself 
whether  your  picture  is  not  truly  drawn  in  the  character  of  the  wicked  servant  men- 
tioned in  that  parable.  I  now  as  a  fellow  servant  suppose  the  following  things  are 
true. 

'1.  You  are  the  person  that  was  arrested  by  force  of  the  divine  law,  and  found  to  owe 
ten  thousand  talents  to  the  King  of  Kings. 

'  2.  You  suppose  that  by  falling  down  at  the  foot  of  divine  justice,  you  have  obtained 
a  pardon  for  the  same,  upon  your  submission  to  his  government  and  sentence,  so  as  to 
obtain  forgiveness. 

'3.  You  are  the  person  that  afterwards  have  gone  out  and  laid  hold  of  your  fellow 
servant  Peter,  took  him  by  the  throat,  arid  by  your  advertisement  cast  him  into  prison 
for  something,  though  I  suppose  he  owed  you  nothing;  for  I  verily  believe  that  instead 
of  his  owing  you  one  hundred  pence  you  were  in  his  debt  for  past  services. 

'  4.  You  sold  him  in  prison,  and  all  that  he  had  into  perpetual  slavery  and  bondage. 
Now,  dear  Sir,  though  I  may  have  missed  drawing  the  lines  of  your  picture  in  some 
circumstance  attending  this  affair,  I  presume  you  can  't  deny  the  substance  to  be  fact* 


APPENDIX.  347 

viz.  That  you  have  sold  your  brother  Peter,  who  was  brought  up  at  the  same  table 
with  you.  for  money  or  something  else  ;  and  have  done  this  thing  against  our  sovereign 
the  King  of  Kinsjs  and  his  plain  laws  in  such  cases  made  and  provided  ;  as  in  Matthew 
7  :  12,  Matthsw  18:  23.  and  as  I  think  against  the  whole  plan  of  the  gospel  dispensa- 
tion. 

•  Now.  Sir.  I  entreat  you  to  consider  what  account  you  will  be  able  to  give  of  this 
your  conduct  at  that  tremendous  bar.  when  death  takes  hold  of  your  soul  and  you  are 
summon'ed  to  answer  for  your  breach  of  this  divine  Jaw,  when  the  dreadful  sentence 
shall  be  pronounced  '  O  thou  wicked,  servant,  I  forgave"  thee  all  that  dibl.  because  thou  de- 
sircdsl  me,  and  shouldest  thou  also  havt  had  compassion  on  thy  fellow  servant,  even  as  I  had 
pity  on  thee  ?     What  will  you  say  for  yourself  to  the  King?     Will  you  apologize  and 
say  I  thought  no  harm  ?     Wilt  you  plead  the  law  of  the  State,  or  the  law  and  practice 
of  this  land  !     Will  you  plead  in  your  favour  the  old  Jewish  abrogated  law.  with  which 
you  had  not  any  thing  to  do,  as  you  area  Gentile  by  nature  and  profess  to  be  under  the  law 
to  Jesus  Christ  ?     Will  you  plead  the  example  of  our  father  Abraham,  who  you  say 
kept  servants  ?  (Tho'  you  read  not  that  he  sold  any  of  them  as  slaves.)    Will  you  plead 
that  your  pastor  and  teacher  did  the  like  as  you  have  done  ?     Will  you  plead  that  you 
were  not  friendly  and  faithfully  warned  of  your  sin  and  danger  by  what  you  have  done? 
No.  Sir,  this  parable  is  sufficient  to  stop  your  mouth;  for  this  is  the  rule  he  has  told 
you,  by  which  he  will  proceed  with  you  at  the  tremendous  assize.     And  you  can't 
plead  ignorance  because  the  book  of  the  divine  laws  you  have  always  had  in  your 
house.     Moreover  you  can't  plead  that  you  had  not  brotherly  warning,  for  I.  your  fel- 
low servant,  soon  after  you  committed  this  trespass  against  the  law  of  Christ,  friendly 
admonished  you  and  entreated  you  to  consider  and  do  justice,  to  Peter,  by  redeeming 
him  and  set  him  at  liberty.     Afterwards  I  warned  you  when  you  were  on  your  sick 
bed,  which  we  all  feared  would  prove  your  death  bed;  but  still  you  refused  to  hearken 
to  the  warning:  you  made  light  of  it  and  called  it  a  small  matter.     Since  that  I  dealt 
with  you  by  two  of  our  brethren,  and  brought  you  to  hearken  to  the  counsel  of  God's 
word  and  do  justice  to  the  said  Peter,  but  you  have  hitherto  refused  to  hearken.     Now 
Sir  this  letter  stands  as  a  witness  and  warning  of  your  hazard.     I  beseech  you  again 
to  consider  and  repent  before  that  dreadful  day  comes,  before  the  judge  becomes  inex- 
orable, and  divine  vengeance  and  wrath  are  unappeasable.     If  I  may  be  allowed  to 
speak  my  solid  sentiments  in  your  case,  I  must  say,  I  would  not  sleep  one  night  under 
your  guilt  for  a  million  worlds,  unless  I  was  come  to  a  full  determination  to  go  or  send, 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  redeem  that  slave  and  set  him  at  liberty.     Will  you,  Sir,  at- 
tend upon  God's  house  and  worship,  and   say  as  some  wicked  people  of  old  time  said 
we  are  delivered  to  do  all  these  abominations  ? 

•  Now,  Sjr,  I  say,  had  you  done  this  deed  in  times  of  former  ignorance  it  might  have 
been  winked  at,  or  more  easily  excused:  but  as  it  was  perpetrated  in  the  time  when 
we  were  all  struggling  for  liberty  from  slavish  oppression,  it  looks  to  me  inexcusable. 
But  what  seems  to  complete  your  character  as  the  wicked  servant,  mentioned  in  the 
parable  under  consideration,  is  this  as  I  have  been  credibly  informed  :  Peter  in  Rhode 
Island  gaol,  fell  down  at  your  feet,  and  virtually,  in  effect,  either  before  your  face  or  by 
an  advocate  pleaded  with  you  to  have  patience  with  him,  and  he  would  come  home 
with  you  and  be  your  servant  or  slave.     But  you  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  his  complaint 
and  cries  for  mercy  and  you  sold  him  into  perpetual  bondage  and  slavery,  where  I  sup- 
pose he  is  groaning  under  the  oppressor's  yoke,  if  living,  to  this  day.     And  if  his  com- 
plaints do  n't  pierce  your  conscience  now  I  believe  they  will  one  day  be  felt  with  ag- 
gravated horror  and  remorse.     I  subscribe  your  faithful  monitor,  aggrieved  brother  and 
fellow  servant 

B.  C.' 

'A  Remonstrance  offered  by  Benjamin  Colman  to  the  Reverend  Moses  Parsons  Pastor, 
and  the  Chh  in  Byfield.  from  the  second  Book  of  the  Cronicles  16th,  10th  vs.  Then  Asa 
was  Wroth  with  the  Seer  and  put  him  in  a  prison  house,  for  he  was  in  a  rage  with 
him,  because  of  this  thing.  And  Asa  oppressed  Some  of  the  people  the  Same  time. 

'  Persecution  is  one  of  those  dreadfull  effects  of  mans  Ap'ostacy  that  has  not  only 
made  its  discovery  in  the  first  man  that  was  born  of  a  Woman  ;  but  has  discovered  its 
self  in  the  practise  of  the  degenerate  race  ever  since.  Cain  was  the  first  man  that 
was  born,  and  he  was  a  persecutor  even  unto  deth,  and  the  apostle  John  1  epistle  3 :  12, 
Says  not  as  Cain  who  was  of  that  Wicked  one  and  slew  his  brother  :  and  wherefore 
slew  he  him,  because  his  own  Works  were  evil,  and  his  brothers  righteous.  Here  is 
the  dreadfull  Source  of  all  persecution  ;  Enmity  against  God,  and  hatred  to  holiness; 
and  the  enmity  between  the  Seed  of  the  Woman  and  the  Seed  of  the  Serpent,  will 
never  be  reconciled.  Yet  the  enemies  to  truth  and  Righteousness  have  always  the 
pharisees  excuse  ready  in  their  mouths,  viz.  for  a  good  work  we  stone  thee  not :  for 


348  APPENDIX. 

notwithstanding  man  has  lost  all  that,  part  of  God's  image  upon  his  soul,  which 
consisted  in  Righteousness,  and  true  holiness ;  yet  God  has  left  such  an  impress,  of 
what  is  right,  upon  men's  consciences  and  of  what  is  Wrong,  that  but  few  Wicked 
men  dare  to  Say,  boldly,  and  deliberately,  they  are  not  afraid  to  practice  that  which  is 
wrong.  But  although  the  restraints  of  God's  grace,  the  happy  effects  of  a  good 
education,  and  some  Selfish  worldly  motives,  may  cause  even  wicked  men  for  a  time  to 
shew  much  respect  to  the  people  of  God.  Yet  when  Temptation  comes,  when  their 
Idol  God  Self  is  touch'd,  when  their  Worldly  honour  or  interest  are  like  to  clash  with 
truth  ;  they  will  act  out  the  natural  enmity  of  their  hearts  rather  than  loose  what  is 
dear  to  them  in  this  World.  For  there  is  something  that  lays  nearer  the  hearts  of 
Carnal  men  then  God  or  his  truth.  But  let  us  take  a  view  of  the  Character  of  King 
Asa  as  it  stands  upon  Sacred  record.  And  I  confess  there  are  seveiall  things  to  be 
taken  notice  of  in  his  Character  that  look  favourably,  for  he  was  a  great  reformer  in 
the  Worship  of  God.  and  did  much  in  throwing  down  Idolatrous  Worship.  He  put 
down  his  Mother  from  being  Queen,  because  she  was  an  Idolater.  Yea,  it  is  said  of 
him  that  his  heart  was  perfect  all  his  days.  Which  may  mean  that  he  retained  an 
abhorrence  to  Idol  Worship,  and  kept  up  good  externall  government  all  his  days  in  his 
Kingdom.  He  was  verry  Sucksessfull  in  his  Wars  with  the  Ethiopians  and  Lubims, 
who  came  against  him  with  a  huge  host  of  a  Thousand  Thousand  and  three  hundred 
chariots,  and  he  obtained  a  compleet  victory  over  them.  Upon  which  he  was  congrat- 
ulated by  the  prophet  Azariah,  who  said  to  him  in  the  name  of  God ;  the  Lord  is  with 
you  While  ye  be  with  him,  and  if  ye  seek  him  he  will  be  found  of  you  ;  but  if  ye 
forsake  him  he  will  forsake  you.  Upon  which  he  was  much  annimated  and  stirred  up 
to  promote  reformation  work  for  a  long  time. 

'  But  in  the  thirty-sixth  year  of  his  Reign,  Baasha  King  of  Israel,  made  War  with 
Asa  King  of  Judah,  and  here  he  turned  aside  from  putting  his  trust  in  the  Lord,  and 
put  his  trust  in  the  King  of  Syria.  He  robbed  the  treasures  of  the  house  of  the  Lord, 
and  the  Kiriiis  house,  to  hire  a  heathen  King  to  assist  him  in  the  War,  in  this  he  did 
foolishly,  as  the  prophet  afterwards  told  him,  and  reproved  him  for  not  putting  his 
trust  in  the  Lord.  For  the  Lord  says  by  the  prophet  Jeremiah  chapter  17:5  Cursed 
be  the  man  that  trusteth  in  man,  and  maketh  flesh  his  arm,  and  whose  heart  departeth 
from  the  Lord  and  so  forth. 

'  Herein  he  did  Wickedly  ;  in  robbing  the  house  of  the  Lord  of  its  treasure,  to  bribe, 
and  perswade  a  heatnen  Idolatrous  King  to  break  his  Solemn  League  and  Covenant 
with  the  King  of  Israel  to  assist  him.  (For  Leagues  or  Covenants  were  look'd  upon  to 
be  Sacred,  even  among  heathens.)  Whereupon  the  prophet  Hanani  comes  to  him  with 
a  message  from  God.  and  tells  Asa  the  King,  verse  17,  because  thou  hast  relied  on  the 
King  of  Syria,  and  not  relied  on  the  Lord  thy  God,  therefore  is  the  Host  of  the  King 
of  Syria  escaped  out  of  thine  hand.  Were  not  the  Ethiopians,  and  the  Lubims  a  huge 
host,  with  very  many  chariots  and  horsemen  ?  Yet  because  thou  didst  rely  on  the 
Lord,  he  delivered  them  into  thine  hand.  For  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  run  to  and  fro 
throughout  the  whole  earth  to  shew  himself  strong  in  the  behalf  of  them  whose  heart 
is  perfect  towards  him.  Herein  thou  hast  done  foolishly;  therefore  from  henceforth 
thou  shalt  have  Wars.  Now  comes  in  the  Words  of  the  text.  Then  Asa  was  wroth 
with  the  Seer,  and  put  him  in  a  prison  house  ;  for  he  was  in  a  rage  with  him  because 
of  this  thing.  And  Asa  oppressed,  or  as  the  margin  reads  it  crushed  some  of  the  people 
the  same  time.  And  here  I  would  remark,  that  if  King  Asa  was  a  good  man  as  I 
would  fain  hope  he  was,  he  is  the  only  one  of  that  Charecter  on  Sacred  record  that 
turn'd  a  persecutor;  or  at  lest  I  do  n't  recollect  any  other  instance  of  the  like  kind.  It 
may  be  so  that  he  was  the  only  one.  For  as  one  Divine  well  observes,  there  is  one 
Instance  of  a  Conversion  at  the  eleventh  hour  of  his  life,  viz.  the  thief  upon  the  Cross, 
that  none  may  despair;  So  there  is  but  one  that  none  may  presume.  So  this  instance 
before  us  may  be  left  on  record,  for  the  encouragement  of  any,  who  have  been  left  to 
persecute  the  Godly;  to  turn  to  God  by  repentance  while  there  is  hope.  But  to 
return  to  the  text ;  he  was  Wroth  with  the  Seer,  and  shut  him  up  in  a  prison  house  for 
he  was  in  a  rage  with  him  because  of  this  thing.  As  much  as  if  he  had  said  to  the 
prophet  Hanani :  Are  you  one  of  the  Kings  Councill,  will  you  who  are  my  Subject 
presume  to  direct  your  Sovereign  prince  what  he  shall  do.  Will  you  tell  me  that  I 
have  done  foolishly  :  in  hiring  Assistance  when  I  needed  help  and  so  forth.  No  if  you 
will  preach,  you  shall  preach  in  a  prison  house,  and  not  before  your  King;  and  so  he 
put  him  in  a  prison  house.  And  we  do  n't  read  that  he  ever  set  him  at  Liberty  till  his 
own  deth,  which  was  at  lest  four  years  after.  O  the  pride  and  haughtiness  of  mans 
heart  when  left  to  himself;  and  left  to  forsake  God;  And  as  the  prophet  Azariah 
told  him  Chapter  15:  2,  if  ye  forsake  him  he  will  forsake  you,  So  the  Lord  fulfilled 
his  word  sent  by  that  prophet.  But  was  not  the  prophet  Hanani  rash  and  insolent 
to  tell  the  King  he  had  done  foolishly  ?  might  he  not  have  softned,  or  polished  his 
Message  by  Saying :  I  think  you  have  not  done  so  well  as  you  might  have  done,  I  am 


APPENDIX.  349 

sorry  you  did  not  rely  on  the  Lord  and  so  forth  :  I  answer,  no.  God's  Messengers  must 
be  bold,  plain  and  faithfull  in  delivering  his  Messages,  or  els  they  would  incurr  their 
Masters  displeasure:  they  may  not  in  his  cause  give  flattering  titles,  lest  their  maker  take 
them  away.  But  here  I  would  remark  the  very  great  difference  between  the  temper  of  this 
King  Asa,  and  his  predecessor  David  ;  concerning  reproof;  David  Said,  let  the  Right- 
eous smite  me  it  shall  be  an  excellent  oil  which  shall  not  break  mine  head.  And  when 
the  prophet  Nathan  came  to  reprove  him  for  his  murder  and  Adultry,  2  Samuel  12:  13, 
how,  meekly,  and  readily  did  he  acknowledge  his  fault,  I  have  Sinned  Said  he,  and 
God  immediately  gave  him  news  that  he  was  pardoned.  But  what  can  such  hau»hty 
ones  expect  who  when  they  are  Justly  reproved  for  their  faults,  do  rage  at  the  Messen- 
ger, and  despise  the  Message.  But  King  Asa  also  gave  further  proof  of  his  having 
forsaken  God;  when  he  was  visited  with  a  painfull  Disease  in  his  feet;  he  sought  not 
to  the  Lord  but  to  the  Physitians  for  help.  Vers,  12  Things  look  dark  respecting  him 
in  his  latter  dayes,  for  the  Lord  Says  expressly  by  the  prophet  Ezekiel,  Chapter  33:  13, 
when  I  shall  say  to  the  righteous  that  he  shall  surely  live;  if  he  trust  to  his  own 
Righteousness  and  committ  iniquity:  all  his  righteousness  shall  not  be  remembred,  but 
for  his  iniquity  that  he  hath  committed,  he  shall  die  for  it.  And  so  verse  IS  of  the  same 
Chapter.  From  the  time  that  King  Asa  forsook  the  Ways  of  the  Lord,  his  Kingdom 
was  upon  the  decline,  he  was  exercised  with  wars  and  tumults,  and  a  very  painfull 
disease ;  and  although  he  had  a  pompuous  burial,  yet  his  sun  seemed  to  set  in  a  cloud, 
for  we  read  not  that  he  return'd  to  God  by  repentance.  But  here  I  would  remark  how 
dangerous  it  is  to  tell  great  men  of  their  faults.  John  baptist  lost  his  head  by  telling 
King  Herod  of  his  faults.  And  saint  Paul  was  comanded  to  be  smitten  on  the  mouth 
for  reproving  the  proud  hijjh  priest.  And  what  numberless  instances  have  we  upon 
record  in  Ecclesiastical  history,  of  the  faithfull  people  of  God  Suffering  persecution, 
for  the  faithfull  discharge  of  their  duty  in  reproving  Sin  in  their  Superiours. 

'  But  I  would  now  address  myself  to  the  Reverend  pastor  of  Byfield  Chh.  Rever- 
end Sir  you  have  been  my  pastor  and  teacher  for  many  years.  We  took  Sweet  Counsel 
together  and  went  to  the  house  of  God.  I  rejoyced  in  your  preaching  the  great  Doc- 
trines of  grace  and  Salvation  through  Jesus  Christ.  I  trust  I  have  been  instructed 
and  edified  by  your  Ministry  from  time  to  time.  But  permit  me  Reverend  Sir  to  Com- 
plain to  you  that  you  are  turn'd  a  persecutor  like  the  King  Asa  of  whom  I  have  been 
Speaking.  I  brought  you  a  Message  from  the  word  of  God  concerning  the  Wicked 
practise  of  Slave  keeping,  and  you  were  angry  with  me,  and  put  me  in  prison,  and 
have  confined  me  for  more  than  two  years.  If  you  ask  what  I  mean  by  being  impris- 
oned ?  I  answer  you  have  by  your  Chh.  Censure  Shut  me  up  from  the  Society  and 
fellowship  of  God's  people  in  Gospel  Ordinances ;  which  I  take  to  be  as  really  perse- 
cution as  to  be  confined  to  a  local  prison  house.  If  you  Say  you  have  not  Shut  me  up 
from  communion  with  any  but  Byfield  Chh.  I  answer  according  to  your  principles 
you  have  from  all  Churches:  for  had  I  applyed  to  another  Chh.  and  been  received  to 
communion  with  them,  you  would  have  been  angry  with  that  pastor  and  Chh.  for 
so  doing.  If  you  ask  how  I  know  this  I  answer,  because  the  case  has  been  tried  in  a 
like  instance,  for  in  time  past  when  a  Member  of  your  Chh.  who  was  dissatisfied  with 
you,  and  applied  to  a  Neighbour  Chh.  and  was  received  1o  their  Communion,  you 
found  fault  with  that  pastor,  and  Maintained  a  Quarrel  with  him,  for  a  number  of 
years.  For  that  and  the  like  things,  have  I  not  importunately  requested  Counsel  ever 
since  the  dispute  began,  according  to  the  Congregational  platform,  upon  which  you 
took  your  Ordination  Office,  but  have  hitherto  been  denied  yt.  privilege.  You  may  re- 
member Reverend  Sir  that  I  did  not  Wish  to  Stand  in  a  Wrong,  or  false  cause,  and  told 
you  if  you  would  Answ:er  my  paper  of  Complaint,  and  point  me  to  any  thing,  or 
things  that  Stood  wrong  in  S'd  paper,  according  to  the  Word  of  God  I  would  immedi- 
ately retract  them,  and  in  the  humblest  manner  acknowledge  my  fault  and  ask  forgive- 
ness both  of  God  and  man.  But  your  Answer  to  me  then  was,  (if  I  rightly  remember, 
in  the  following  words,)  I  can't  Answer  you,  the  Chh.  may  Answer  you,  but  I  can't 
Sit  down  with  you  Deacn.  Colman.  And  so  you  call'd  upon  the  Brethren  of  the  Chh. 
to  vote  me  out  of  your  communion.  And  this  you  Said  as  it  appeared  to  me.  with  a 
good  deal  of  Warmth  and  temper.  Sir  I  do  n't  pretend  to  be  vested  with  the  Authori- 
ty of  a  prophet,  or  publick  teacher,  yet  if  my  message  in  the  paper  referr'd  to  Stands 
right  with  the  Rule  of  Gods  word ;  it  ought  to  be  regarded  by  you  as  if  it  had  been  de- 
livered to  you  by  the  Mouth  of  a  prophet,  for  Since  the  Canon  of  Scripture  is  Com- 
pleeted,  God  has  given  us  in  the  Bible,  one  perfect  unerring  rule  of  faith  and  practise. 
So  that  whatever  is  plainly  deducible  from  Scripture,  is  Scripture,  and  ought  to  be  re- 
ceived as  of  Divine  authority,  whoever  is  the  Messenger,  for  all  truth  is  Christs,  who 
is  the  truth  its  self,  emphatically,  as  well  as  the  way  and  the  life.  And  now  Reverend 
Sir  that  you  and  I  may  be  convinc'd  of  every  thing  we  ought  to  be  convinced  of,  and 
have  the  path  of  truth  and  duty  made  plain  before  us,  and  that  we  may  receive  grace 


350  APPENDIX. 

from  Christ  Jesus,  whereby  we  may  Sincerely  comply  with  the  Will  of  God  as  re- 
vealed in  his  Word,  is  the  prayer  of  your  Abused  friend,  and  humble  Servant. 

BENJAMIN   COLMAN. 

'But  before  I  conclude  this  remonstrance,  I  beg  leave  to  make  a  short  address  to 
the  brethren  of  the  Chh.  in  Byfield  ; 

'  Dear  brethren  you  can 't  but  remember  that  from  the  time  the  controversey  between 
Mr.  Parsons  and  I  began,  I  was  desirous  of  Councill  in  our  case :  I  offered  Several 
times  to  refer  it  to  a  couricill  of'  Mr.  Parsons  own  ch using,  but  was  denied  by  the  Pas- 
tor. Since  I  have  offered  to  Joyn  in  Councill,  and  consented  that  he  Should  Nominate 
and  choose  two  thirds  of  the  Councill;  and  if  I  was  found  to  be  the  faulty  cause  of 
the  Trouble  and  charge,  I  would  pay  the  expenses  thereof,  but  Still  I  am  denied.  I 
now  put  it  to  your  Consciences  whether  you  do  by  me  as  you  would  be  Willing  to  be 
done  by,  were  you  in  my  case,  for  I  know  no  other  rule  perfectly  right  but  this,  which 
Christ  has  given  us  as  the  universal  Rule  of  equity. 

'  I  confess  the  paper  I  Offered  to  our  pastor  is  of  a  rough  draft,  it  is  not  polished  with 
learning  or  retorick  as  it  might  have  been,  but  I  suppose  it  contains  nothing  but  truth. 
And  if  it  is  an  unanswerable  Testimony  against  Slave  keeping,  it  is  what  I  designed 
it  to  be. - 

'  And  as  it  pleased  God  to  open  my  eyes  at  that  time  to  see  the  Abominable  Wicked- 
ness of  that  practise,  I  believe  Silence  in  me  would  have  been  a  Crime. 

'  But  my  brethren,  there  is  one  Text  upon  Sacred  record  which  I  beg  leave  to  offer 
to  your  Serious  consideration,  it  is  recorded  in  St.  Matthews  gospel,  5th  Chapter  23 
and  24  verses.  '  Therefore  if  thou  bring  thy  gift  to  the  Altar,  and  there  rememberest 
that  thy  brother  hath  ought  against  thee,  leave  there  thy  gift  before  the  Altar,  and  go 
Ihy  way,  first  be  reconciled  to  thy  Brother,  and  then  come  and  offer  thy  gift.'  How 
you  Satisfy  your  Consciences  in  attending  the  Ordinance  of  the  Lords  Supper  I  can  't 
"See,  if  you  remember  that  you,  and  the  pastor,  have  Shut  me  out  of  your  Communion, 
for  bearing  Testimony  against  the  Detestable  practise  of  Slave  keeping,  and  making 
Merchandise  of  human  people?  people  made  of  the  Same  flesh  and  blood  as  we  are 
arid  differ  from  us  only  in  colour.  This  as  I  understand  is  the  true  Stating  my  case. 
This  is  verry  Wide  from  what  I  am  well  informed  is  the  practise  of  the  purest  Chhs. 
in  the  Jersey  State,  they  will  not  admit  Members  to  their  Communion,  who  hold  their 
Slaves.  But  I  am  shut  out  for  bearing  Testimony  against  that  Wicked  practise  You 
can't  but  be  Sensible  the  practise  of  Slave  keeping  is  Reprobated,  and  Abhorr'd  by  the 
most  Godly  people  through  this  State,  but  to  add  no  more,  that  truth  may  appear  and 
Justice  take  place  in  every  instance,  is  the  prayer  of  your  Agrieved  brother, 

BENJAMIN   COLMAN. 

By fidd  November  3d  1783.' 

Letter  I,  instead  of  C,  page  38. 

LIST  OF  GRADUATES  FROM  NEWBURY. 

Benjamin  Woodbridge,  whose  name  stands  first  on  the  Cambridge 
catalogue,  was  of  course  the  first  person,  who  received  a  degree  at 
Cambridge  College,  as  from  the  first  commencement  in  1642  till  1773, 
degrees  were  conferred  on  the  students,  and  their  names  arranged  in 
the  catalogue,  not  according  to  age,  or  scholarship,  or  the  alphabet,  but 
according  to  the  rank  their  families  held  in  society.  Thus  the  son  of 
a  captain  preceded  him  who  was  only  the  son  of  a  lieutenant,  and  in 
one  instance,  where  this  order  was  reversed,  great  offence  was  taken. 
The  apology  was  that  the  lieutenant  was  the  more  respectable  man, 
and  would  have  been  a  captain  too,  had  his  health  permitted. 

In  the  following  list,  which  comprises  the  names  of  those  graduates 
who  were,  or  are,  natives  of  Newbury,  Newburyport  and  West  New- 
bury,  the  alphabetical  arrangement  will  be  used,  with  the  exception- of 
the  name  of  'Mr'.  Woodbridge.  The  names  of  those  who  were  born 
in  England,  but  came  to  .Newbnry  when  young,  will  be  indicated  by 
an  asterisk.  Among  them  was  Benjamin  Woodbridge.  He  was  a 
son  of  the  Rev.  John  Woodbridge,  of  Stanton  in  Wiltshire,  a  brother 
to  the  llev.  John  Woodbridge,  with  whom  he  came  to  America  in 


APPENDIX.  351 

1634,  and  a  nephew  to  the  Rev.  Thomas  Parker  and  the  Rev.  James 
Noyes,  the  first  ministers  of  Newbury.  He  is  called  by  Dr.  Calamy, 
*  the  first  fruits  of  the  college  in  New  England,  as  Arch  Bishop  Usher 
was  at  that  in  Dublin.5  He  had  been  a  member  of  Magdalen  College 
in  Oxford,  but  chose  to  complete  his  collegiate  education  in  Massachu- 
setts. He  soon  after  returned  to  England.  He  at  first  preached  at 
Salisbury,  on  the  river  Avon,  thence  after  a  few  years,  he  was  called 
to  succeed  the  Rev.  William  Twiss  D.  D.  in  Xewbury,  England, 
where  he  shone  as  a  scholar,  a  preacher,  a  casuist,  and  a  Christian.  In 
August,  1662,  he  was  silenced  by  the  act  of  uniformity,  and  as  he  could 
not  preach  publicly,  he  maintained  a  private  meeting  at  Newbury, 
whither  he  had  returned  after  an  absence  of  a  year  or  two.  In  1671 
he  was  permitted  to  resume  his  public  labors,  and  died  at  Inglefield 
in  Berkshire,  November  first,  1684,  in  his  sixty-third  year. 

Mr.  Woodbridge  was  also  a  poet.  From  his  eulogy  on  the  Rev. 
John  Cotton,  who  died  in  1652,  1  make  the  following  extract. 

*  A  living  breathing  Bible;  tables  where 
Both  covenants,  at  large,  engraven  were  ; 
Gospel  and  law.  in 's  heart,  had  each  its  column 
His  head  an  index  to  the  sacred  volume. 
His  very  name  a  title  page;  and  next, 
His  life  a  commentary  on  the  text. 
O.  what  a  monument  of  glorious  worth 
When  in  a  new  edition,  he  comes  forth 
Without  erratas,  may  we  think  he  '11  be 
In  leaves  and  covers  of  eternity.' 

Dr.  Calamy  says  of  him  '  He  was  a  universally  accomplished  per- 
son ;  one  of  a  clear  and  strong  reason,  and  of  an  exact  and  profound 
judgment.'  Anthony  Wood  says  of  him  that  '  he  was  accounted 
among  his  brethren  a  learned  and  mighty  man.' 

ADAMS.  REV.  BENJAMIN  b.  8  May,  1719,  Harv.  1738,  ord.  in  Lynn,  5  Nov.  1755, 
and  died  4  May.  1777,  aged  58. 

ADAMS,  REV.  JOSEPH  twin  brother  to  Benjamin,  Harv.  1742,  was  a  zealous  'new- 
light '  so  called,  and  preached  for  some  time  to  the  society  which  afterward  settled 
the  Rev.  Jonathan  Parsons  in  Newbury,  now  Newburyport.  Mr.  A.  was  settled  in 
Stratham.  N.  H.  24  June.  1756,  and  died  24  Feb.  1785,  aged  66. 

ADAMS,  ISAAC  b.  15  Feb.  1777,  Harv.  1798,  studied  medicine,  but  his  health  failed 
and  he  died  4  June,  1807. 

ADAMS,  FREE  BORN  b.  30  Sept.  1774,  Dart.  1S01,  was  a  physician  in  South  Caro- 
lina. Newbury  District. 

ADAMS.  JOSEPH  Bowd.  1827,  and  resides  in  Gardiner,  Maine. 

ANDREWS,  EDWARD  W.  b.  2  Aug.  1790,  Harv.  1810,  died  in  Nov.  1825,  in  Phila- 
delphia. 

ATKINS.  MR.  DUDLEY  b.  1731.  Harv.  1748,  and  died  24  Sept  1767,  aged  36. 

ATKINS.  MR.  DUDLEY  Harv.    1S1G,  was  a  physician  in  N.  Y.  and  died  7  Apr.  1845. 

ATKINSON.  REV.  JONATHAN  Dart.  1787,  ord  Oct  1794,  in  Limington,  Me. 

and  was  living  in  1821. 

ATKINSON,  THOMAS  b.  27  Dec.  1669.  Harv.  1691,  and  died  before  1699. 

ATKINSON,  MOSES  LITTLE  Dart.  1838,  and  is  a  physician  in  Newbury,- Mass. 

ATKINSON.  CHARLES  M.  b.  17  June,  1819,  Amh.  1844. 

ATKINSON.  GEORGE  H.  Dart.  1843. 

ALLEN,  WILLIAM  STICKNEY    1803,  Dart.  1824.  and  now  resides  in  St.  Louis. 

ALLEN.  REV.  EPHRAIM  W.  brother  to  William  S.  b^lSl6,  Amh.  1S3S,  ord.  North 
Reading,  Mass.  May.  1S43. 

BAILEY^  REV.  JAMES  b.  12  Sept.  1650,  Harv.  1669,  was  a  preacher  for  some  time 
in  Salem  village,  now  Danvers,  and  died  in  Roxbury  17  Jan.  1707. 

BAILEY.  ISAAC  b.  2  Oct.  1681,  Harv.  1701. 

BAILEY.  REV.  ABNER  b.  15  Jan.  1716,  Harv.  1736.  ord.  at  Salem,  N,  H.  30  Jan, 
1740,  and  died  10  March.  1798.  aged  82. 


APPENDIX. 

BAILEY,  ENOCH  brother  to  Abner,  b.  20  Sept.  1719,  Harv.  1742,  after  preaching 
some  time  he  entered  the  army  as  chaplain,  and  died  at  Albany,  in  Aug.  1757,  aged  35. 

BAILEY,  REV.  JOSIAH  b.  26  Jan.  1734,  Harv.  1752,  ord.  at  Hampton  Falls,  N.  H. 
19  Oct.  1757,  and  died  12  Sept.  1762,  aged  29. 

BAILEY,  EBENEZER  b.  25  June,  1794,  Yale,  1817,  was  a  distinguished  teacher  in 
Boston,  and  died  in  Lynn,  5  Aug.  1838. 

BAILEY,  REV.  JOSEPH  H.  b.  15  Sept.  180S,  Amh.  1839,  ord.  in  N.  Dighton,  Mass. 
31  Dec.  1843.  and  died  Nov.  1844. 

BAILEY,  REV.  KIAH  Dart.  1793,  ord.  in  Newcastle,  Me.  in  Oct.  1797,  now 

in  Hard  wick,  Vt. 

BARTLET,  WILLIAM  Harv.  1801. 

BARTLET,  JOSIAH  Harv.  1795,  a  teacher  in  Newburyport. 

BRADSTREET,  EDWARD  M.  D.  Harv.  1834,  and  died  13  Dec.  1844, 

BARNARD,  REV.  THOMAS  D.  D.  b.  5  Feb.  1748,  Harv.  1766,  ord.  in  Salem,  Mass. 
13  Jan.  1773,  and  died  1  Oct.  1814.  aged  67. 

BOARDMAN,  REV.  JOHN  b.  8  Nov.  1795,  Dart.  1817,  settled  in  West  Boylston,  28 
Feb.  1821,  resigned  Feb.  1834,  resettled  in  Douglas,  25  Feb.  1835,  and  died  8  Nov. 
1842,  aged  46. 

BO  YD,  WILLIAM  b.  20  March,  1776,  Harv.  1796,  and  studied  medicine  and  died  in 
Boston,  13  Jan.  1800,  aged  24. 

BRADBURY,  THEOPHILUS  b.  13  Nov.  1739,  Harv.  1757,  practised  law  in  New- 
buryport, was  a  Senator,  Representative,  and  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court.  He  died 
6  Sept.  1803,  aged  63. 

BRIGGS,  JOHN  A.  M.  D.  Harv.  1835,  is  a  physician  in  Newburyport. 

BROWN,  REV.  RICHARD  b.  12  Sept.  1675,  Harv.  1697,  was  town  clerk  and  school- 
master in  Newburyfor  several  years,  ord.  in  Reading,  23  June,  1712,  and  died  12 
Oct.  1732.  His  widow,  with  her  children,  returned  to  Newbury. 

BROWN,  REV.  SAMUEL  b.  4  Sept.  1687,  Harv.  1709,  ord.  in  Abington,  17  Nov.  1718, 
and  died  12  Sept.  1749,  aged  62. 

BROWN,  JOHN  B.  b.  2  March,  1706,  Harv.  1725,  and  died  in  Newbury,  11  Aug.  1770, 
aaed  65. 

BROWN,  JOHN  S.  Dart.  1836.     He  died  13  Jan.  1842. 

CALDWELL,  SAMUEL  L.  Waterville,  1841. 

CALDWELL,  WILLIAM  W.  Bowd.  1843. 

CARY,  REV.  SAMUEL  b.  4  Nov.  1785,  Harv.  1804,  ord.  in  Boston  colleague  pastor 
with  Dr.  James  Freeman,  1  Jan.  1809,  and  died  at  Rayston  in  England,  22  Oct.  1815, 
aged  30. 

CARY.  THOMAS  .  b.  5  Aug.  1777,  Harv.  /,>$';>  and  died  in  Greenland,  N.  H.  14 
June,  1820,  aged  43. 

CARTER,  THOMAS  D.  b.  Harv.  1817,  and  died  at  sea. 

CARTER,  REV.  HAMDEN  S.  b.  1807,  Athens,  Geor.  about  1826  or  7,  is  a  Presbyte- 
rian clergyman. 

CHASE,  CALEB  1766,  Nassau  Hall,  was  a  teacher  in  Concord,  N.  H. 

some  years,  then  removed  to  Thornton. 

CHASE,  REV.  STEPHEN  b.  26  Oct.  1705,  Harv.  1728,  ord.  in  Lynn,  now  Lynn- 
field,  24  Nov.  1731,  left  Lynnrield,and  was  resettled  in  Newcastle,  N.  H.  5  Dec.  1750, 
where  he  died  Jan.  1778. 

CHASE,  REV.  JOSIAH  b.  20  Nov.  1713,  Harv.  1738,  ord.  at  Spruce  Creek,  Kittery, 
19  Sept.  1750,  and  died  17  Dec.  1778.  Having  attended  a  wedding,  he  missed  his 
way,  and  perished  near  his  own  house. 

CHASE,  SIMEON  b.  1745,  Harv.  1767,  was  a  teacher  of  youth  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury in  Newbury,  where  he  died  13  Sept.  1829,  aged  84  1-2  years. 

CHASE,  REV.  MOSES  B.  Bowd.  1831,  and  is  now  a  chaplain  in  the  navy. 

CHASE,  REV.  PLUMER  b.  13  March,  1794,  Bowd.  1821,  and  settled  in  Carver,  Mass. 
15  Oct.  1828,  and  died  1837,  ag.  43. 

CLARK,  REV.  JOHN  b.  24  June,  1670,  Harv.  1690,  ord.  in  Exeter  21  Sept.  1698,  and 
died  25  July,  1705,  aged  35. 

CLARK.  REV.  THOMAS  M.  b.  4  July,  1812,  Yale  1831,  ord.  rector  of  Episcopal 
church,  Boston,  5  Nov.  1836,  now  rector  of  St.  Andrews'  church,  Philadelphia. 

CLARK,  REV.  RUFUS  W.  b.  17  Dec.  1813,  Yale  1838,  ord.  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 
Nov.  16,  1843. 

CLARK.  GEO.  H.  7  Nov.  1819,  Yale  1843,  studying  divinity. 

COFFIN,  REV.  ENOCH  b.  7  Feb.  1695,  Harv.  1714,  was  a  preacher,  received  a  call 
to  settle  in  Dunstable,  but  his  want  of  health  prevented.  He  died  7  Aug.  1728. 

COFFIN,  BROCKLEBANK  SAMUEL  brother  to  Enoch,  b.  24  Aug.  1700,  Harv. 
1718,  and  died  14  June,  1727. 

COFFIN,  DR.  NATHANIEL  b.  1716,  Harv.  1744,  and  died  in  Falmouth  12  Jan.  1766, 
aged  50. 


APPENDIX.  353 

COFFIN,  REV.  PAUL  D.  D.  b.  16  Jan.  1737,  Harv.  1759,  ord.  in  Buxton  Me.  16 

March.  1763,  and  died  there  6  June,  1821,  aged  84. 
COFFIN,   CHARLES  M.  D.  brother  to  Paul,  b.  17  Aug.  1741,  Harv.  1759,  was  a 

physician  in  Newbury  and  Newburyport,  and  died  30  April,  1821.  nearly  80. 
COFFIN.  CHARLES  M.  D.  b.  4  Sept.  1765,  Harv.  1785,  was  a  physician,  a  teacher 

in  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  and  died  in  Beaufort,  S.  C.  S  Sept.  1820.     Principal  of  the 

academy  in  that  place. 
COFFIN.  REV.  EBENEZER  brother  to  Charles,  b.  16  Feb.  1769,  Harv.  1789,  ord.  in 

Brunswick,  Me.  23  June,  1794,  dismissed  1802,  and  died  in  Newbury  26  Jan.  1816. 
COFFIN,  JOSHUA  b.  12  Oct.  J792,  Dart.  1823,  resides  in  New  bury. 
COFFIN,  REV.  CHARLES  b.  15  Aug.  1775,  Mr.  D.  D.  at  Wms.  1807.       Pres.  of 

Greenville  college  in  Tennessee. 

COFFIN.  CHARLES  HECTOR  24  April,  1804,  Green,  coll.  1824. 
COFFIN,  GEORGE  b.  1802,  Bowd.  1829,  was  a  student  in  Andover,  and  died  in 

New  bury.  Sept.  1830. 

COKER,  THEODORE  b.  16  Oct.  1707,  Harv.  1726. 
COKER,  ROBERT  A.  19  March,  1807,  Harv.  1831,  and  d.  8  March,  1833. 
COLMAN,  DUDLEY  b.  13  Aug.  1745,  Harv.  1765,  was  town  clerk  in  Newbury,  was 

an  adjutant  in  the  army,  removed  to  Boston,  thence  to   Brookneld,  N.  H.  where  he 

died  16  Nov.  1797. 
COLMAN,  THOMAS  brother  to  Dudley,  b.  8  March,  1751,  Harv.  1770,  and  was 

drowned  at  Newbury  bar  28  Oct.  1784. 
COLMAN,  H.  CHARLES  Bowd.  1844. 

CONNER.  PHINEHAS  S.  22  August.  1813,  Dart.  1835,  is  a  physician. 
CROSS.  ROBERT  b.  3  July,  1799,  Harv.  1819,  is  a  lawyer  in  Michigan. 
COUCH,  REV,  PAUL,  b.  20  June,  1803,  Dart.  1823,  ord.  in  West  Newbury  21  March, 

1827,  resigned  14  Aug.  1828,  then  settled  in  Bethlehem,  Conn.  1830,  and  again  settled 

7  Oct.  1836,  in  North  Bridgewater,  Mass,  where  he  now  resides. 
CUSHING,  CALEB  b.  in  Salisbury,  Harv.  1817,  was  a  tutor  in  Harv.  coll.  memb.  of 

congress,  and  late  minister  to  China,  resides  in  Newburyport. 
GUSHING,  WILLIAM  Harv.  1843. 

Dl'MMER,  REV.  SHUBAEL  b.  17  Feb.  1636,  Harv.  1656,  preached  at  York  1662, 

ord.  there  3  Dec.  1672,  and  was  there  killed  by  the  Indians  as  he  was  mounting  his 

horse  at  his  own  door  25  Jan.  1692. 
DUMMER:  NATHANIEL  14  Feb.  1724,  Harv.  1745,  and  was  drowned  on  his  return 

from  a  voyage  at  sea. 
DALTON.  TRISTRAM  b.  28  May,  1738,  Harv.  1755,  resided  in  Newburyport,  where 

he  died  30  May,  1817,  aged  79. 
DALTON,  JOHN  C.  M.  D.  b.  Harv.  1814,  was  a  physician  in  New  Boston, 

N.  H.  and  died  Jan.  1830,  aged  35. 

DANA.  REV.  WILLIAM  C.  b.  13  Feb.  1810,  Dart.  1828,  settled  in  Charleston,  S.  C. 
DODGE,  ALLEN  W.  b.  9  April,  1804,  Harv.  1826,  resides  in  Hamilton,  Mass. 
DOLE,  REV.  GEORGE  T.  Yale,  1838,  ord.  in  Beverly,  Mass.  6  Oct.  1842. 

DUTTON,  ALFRED  Bowd.   1842. 

EMERY,  REV.  SAMUEL  b.  20  Dec.  1670,  Harv.  1691,  ord.  in  Wells,  Me.  29  Oct. 

1701,  and  died  28  Dec.  1724. 
EMERY,  ANTHONY  b.  5  Sept.  1713,  Harv.  1736,  was  a  physician  in  Chelmsford, 

Mass,  then  Hampton,  N.  H.  where  he  died  19  Aug.  1781,  aged  67. 
EMERY,  REV.  STEPHEN  b.  Harv.  1730,  settled  in  Nottingham,  N.  H. 

EMERY,  THOMAS  b.  1750,  Harv.  1768,  died  21  Nov.  1770. 
EMERY,  REV.  SAMUEL  M.  10  April,  1804,  Harv.  1830,  settled  as  an   episcopal 

clergyman  in  Portland,  Conn. 

EMERY,  REV.  SAMUEL  H.  1815,  Amh.  1834,  now  in  Taunton.  Mass. 
EMERY,  JOSHUA  jr.  b.  1807,  Amh.  1831,  settled  in  Fitchburg,  now  in  N.  Weymouth. 
EMERSON,  JOHN  E.  Amh.  1844. 

EUSTIS.  JOHN  b.  21  April,  1790,  Harv.  1810. 
EMERSON,  REV.  JOHN  b.  Harv.  1726,  ord.  in  Topsfield,  and  died  li 

July.  1774,  aged  64. 

FELTON,  CORNELIUS  C.  Mr.  tutor  and  prof,  in  Harvard  university, b.      Harv.  1827. 
FELTON,  SAMUEL  M.  Harv.  1834 

FLANDERS,  CHARLES  b.  Harv.  1808,  and  is  a  lawyer  in  Plainfield,  N.  H. 

FARNHAM,  JOHN  HAY  b.  22  July,  1791,  Harv.  1811,  studied  law,  resided  in  Salem, 

Indiana,  where  he  died  10  July,  1833. 
GERRISH,  REV.  JOSEPH  b.  23  March,  1650,  Harv.  1669,  ord.  in  Wenham  12  Jan. 

1675,  and  died  16  Jan.  1720,  aged  70. 
GERRISH,  MOSES  b.  10  June,  1744,  Harv.  1762,  was  a  school  teacher,  and  removed 

to  Grand  Menan,  where  he  died  in  1825. 

45 


354  APPENDIX. 

GERRISH,  JOSEPH  b.  5  March,  1775,  Dart.  1797,  studied  law,  afterward  went  to  sea 

as  commander  of  a  ship  for  several  years,  and  died  in  Newbury  6  Dec.  1839. 
OILMAN,  EZEKIEL  24  Jan.  1817,  Harv.  1839. 
GREENLEAF,  REV.  DANIEL  b.  10  Feb.  1680,  Harv.  1699,  ord.  in  North  Yarmouth, 

1708.     He  removed  to  Boston,  where  he  died  27  Aug.  1763,  aged  83. 
GREENLEAF,  STEPHEN  b.  4  Oct.  1704,  Harv.  1723,  was  sheriff  of  Suffolk  Co. 

and  died  Jan.  1795,  aged  91. 
GREENLEAF,  BENJAMIN  b.  March,  1732,  Harv.  1751,  was  judge  of  probate,  and 

judge  of  common  pleas.     He  died  13  Jan.  1799,  aged  67. 
GREENLEAF,  SIMON  Mr.  LL.  D.  b.  Bowd.  1817,  practiced  law  for 

some  years  in  Portland,  and  is  now  prof,  of  law  in  Harvard  university. 
GREENLEAF,  REV.  JONATHAN  brother  to  Simon,  Bowd.  1824,  ord. 

in  1815,  Wells,  Me.  then  preacher  to  the  seamen  in  N.  Y.  for  some  years,  and  settled 

in  Brooklyn,  Long  Island,  8  March,  1843. 

GREENLEAF,  CHARLES  H.  b.  Dart.  1832,  and  died 

GREENLEAF,  ALFRED  Dart.  1838,  teacher  of  the  High  school  in 

Brooklyn,  Long  Island. 

GREENLEAF,  JAMES  b.  Dart.  1834. 

GORDON,  WILLIAM  A.  Mr.  M.  D.  Harv.  1826,  is  a  physician  in  Hingham,  Mass. 
GOULD,  BENJAMIN  A.  Harv.  1814,  was  for  many  years  teacher  of  the 

Latin  school  in  Boston. 
HALE,  REV.  MOSES  b.  10  July,  1678,  Harv.  1699,  ord.  in  Newbury,  Byfield,  Oct. 

1706,  and  died  Jan.  1743,  ag.  66. 
HALE,  REV.  MOSES  b.  1703,  Harv.  1722,  ord.  in  Chester,  N.  H.  20  ,Oct.  1731,  and 

dismissed  4  June,  1735. 
HALE,  REV.  MOSES  b.  18  Jan.  1715,  Harv.  1734,  settled  in  Newbury,  west  parish, 

20  Feb.  1752,  and  died  15  Jan.  1779,  aged  64. 
HALE,  REV.  MOSES  son  of  the  preceding,  b.  in  Rowley  19  Feb.  1749,  Harv.  1771, 

ord.  in  Boxford  and  died  26  May,  1786. 

HALE,  NATHAN  b.  1  March,  1720,  Harv.  1739,  and  died  in  Newbury. 
HALE,  SAMUEL  b.  24  Aug.  1718,  Harv.  1740.     In  1745,  he  commanded  a  company 

of  provincials  at  Louisburg,  and  for  more  than  thirty  years  was  a  distinguished  teach- 
er of  youth  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H.     He  died  10  July,  1807,  aged  89. 
HALE,  REV.  BENJAMIN,  MR.  Bowd.  1818,  and   at   Dart.   1827,  tutor 

and  prof,  and  now  president  of  Geneva  college,  N.  Y. 
HALE,  EBENEZERM.  D.  Dart.  1829. 

HILLS,  WILLIAM  Oberlin  Ins.  1844. 

HODGE,  NICHOLAS  b.  20  May,  1719,  Harv.  1739,  and  died  in  1743,  aged  24. 
HODGE.  MICHAEL  b.  9  Sept.  1780,  Harv.  1799,  and  died  6  July,  1816,  aged  36. 
HOOPER,  REV.  HEZEKIAH  b.  1769,  Harv.  1789,  ord.  in  Boylston,  12  March,  1794. 
HOOPER,  THOMAS  W.  b.  25  Jan.- 177-1,  Harv.  1789,  died  in  the  naval  service. 
HOOPER,  STEPHEN  b.  7  April,  1735,  Harv.  1808,  practiced  law,  removed  to  Boston, 

and  there  died  in  1825.     He  had  been  representative  and  senator  of  Essex  co.  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

HORTON,  REV.  WILLIAM  settled  in  Dover,  N.  H. 

HOWARD,  REV.  WILLIAM  G.  Amh.  1835. 

HUSE,  STEPHEN  b.  16  Nov.  1702,  Harv.  1726. 

HUDSON,  HENRY  I.  Harv.  1843,  studying  divinity,  in  Cambridge. 

INGALLS,  WILLIAM  b.  3  May,  1769,  Harv.  1790,  M.  D.  and  prof,  at  Brown.     He 

now  resides  in  Boston. 

JACKSON,  JUDGE  CHARLES  b.  31  May,  1775,  Harv.  1793,  resides  in  Boston. 
JA  CKSON,  JAMES  MR.  M.  D.  prof.  b.  2  Oct.  1777,  Harv.  1796,  is  a  physician  in  Boston. 
JEWETT,  REV.  CALEB  b.     '  Dart.  1776,  ord.  in  Gorham,  Me.  5  Nov.  1783, 

and  dismissed  and  died  in  1800. 
JAQUES,  STEPHEN  b.  5  Feb.  1685,  Harv.  1707,  resided  in  Newbury,  was  a  notary 

public,  and  a  teacher  of  youth.     He  died  about  1779. 
JAQUES,  REV.  RICHARD  b.  1  April,  1700,  Harv.  1720,  ord.  in   Gloucester,  3  Nov. 

1725,  and  died  12  April,  1777,  aged  77. 

JOHNSON,  JONATHAN  G.  Harv.  1810,  is  a  physician  in  Newburyport. 

KELLY,  REV.  WILLIAM  b.  31  Oct.  1744,  Harv.  1767,  ord.  in  Warner,  N.  H.  5  Feb. 

1772,  and  dismissed  11  March,  1801,  and  died  IS  May,  1813. 
KENT,  AMOS  b.  16  Oct.  1774,  Harv.  1795,  was  a  lawyer  in   Chester,  N.  H.  and  died 

18  June,  1824,  aged  49. 

KENT,  MOODY                       Harv.  1801,  is  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Concord,  N.  H. 
KIMBALL,  EDWARD  b.  16  Aug.  1793,  Harv.  1814,  resides  in  Wenham. 
KNAPP,  JACOB  NEWMAN  7  Nov.  1773,  Harv.  1802,  resides  in  Walpole,  N.  H. 
KNAPP,  SAMUEL  LORENZO  LL.  D.  at  Paris,  b. Dart.  1804,  was  a  lawyer 

in  Newburyport,  thence  to  Boston,  and  died  in  Hopkinton,  Mass. 


APPENDIX.  355 

KNAPP.  PHILIP  COOMBS  Dart.  1840. 

LE  BRETON.  EDMUND  L.  Harv.  1824,  practices  law  in  Newburyport 

LITTLE,  SILAS  b.  March,  1754,  Dart.  1776,  resides  in  Newbury. 

LITTLE,  MOSES  b.  3  July,  1766.  Harv.  1787,  was  a  physician  in  Salem,  Mass,  and 
died  13  Oct.  1S11.  , 

LITTLE,  MICHAEL  b.  14  March,  1771,  Dart.  1792,  and  died  in  Newbury,  29  March, 
1830. 

LITTLE,  EDWARD  brother  to  Michael,  b.  12  March,  1773,  Dart.  1797,  and  now  re- 
sides in  Danville.  Me. 

LITTLE,  JOSIAH  brother  to  the  two  preceding,  b.  13  Jan.  1791,  Bowd.  1811,  resides 
in  Newbury. 

LITTLE,  JOSIAH  S.  b.  in  Minot.  Me.  Bowd.  1S25,  is  a  lawyer  in  Portland,  Me. 

LONGFELLOW,  STEPHEN  b.  1723.  Harv.  1742.  moved  to  Portland  1745,  was  a 
school  teacher,  parish,  and  town  clerk  22  years,  register  of  probate  15  years,  clerk 
of  the  court  16  years,  and  died  1  May.  1790,  aged  67  years. 

LONGFELLOW,  EDWARD  b.  1758,  Dart.  1780,  was  a  teacher,  commanded  a  com- 
pany in  the  expedition  against  Daniel  Shays,  and  died  5  Sept.  1794. 

LORD,  REV.  THOMAS  N.  b.  19  Aug.  1807,  Bowd.  1835,  and  ord.  in  Topsham,  Me. 
10  Aug.  1837. 

LOWELL,  JOHN  LL.  D.  b.  17  June,  1743,  Harv.  1760,  commenced  the  practice  of 
law  in  Newburyport,  removed  to  Boston,  and  there  died  6  May,  1802,  aged  58. 

LOWELL.  JOHN  LL.  D.  b.  in  Newburyport,  Harv.  1786,  was  a  lawyer  in  Boston, 
where  he  died. 

LOWELL,  FRANCIS  C.  brother  to  John,  b.  7  April,  1775,  Harv.  1793,  and  died  in 
Boston.  ISIS.  He  studied  law,  became  a  manufacturer,  and  in 

LUNT,  JOSEPH  b.  Harv.  1737.  and  died  at  sea. 

LUNT,  REV.  WILLIAM  P.  b.  2  Ap.  1805,  Harv.  1823,  ord.  in  Quincy,  3  June,  1825. 

LUNT.  GEORGE  b.  31  Dec.  1803,  Harv.  1824,  is  a  lawyer  in  Newburyport. 

McGAW,  THORNTON  born  in  Newburyport,  Dart.  1820,  and  is  a  lawyer  in  Ban- 
go  r.  Me. 

MARCH.  REV.  EDMUND  b.  1703,  Harv.  1722,  ord.  in  Amesbury.  3  July,  1728,  re- 
signed 19  March.  1743.  and  died  in  Newbury,  6  March.  1791,  aged  88. 

MARCH,  REV.  JOHN  C.  b.  9  Oct.  1805,  Yale,  1825,  ord.  in  Newbuiy,  Belleville.  1 
March.  1C 

MERRILL,  REV.  NATHANIEL  b.  1  March,  1713,  Harv.  1732,  ord.  at  Nottingham 
Wrest.  now  Hudson,  30  Nov.  1737,  and  died  1796,  aged  83. 

MERRILL,  REV.  NATHANIEL  b.  1743,  Harv.  1767,  ord.  in  Boscawen,  19  Oct. 
1768,  dismissed  1  April,  1774.  and  died  in  Poultney,  Vt.  Oct.  1791,  aged  48. 

MERRILL,  JOHNb.  3  Jan.  1793,  Bowd.  1811,  resides  in  Woodbury,  N.  J. 

MERRILL,  REV.  THOMAS  4th,  b.  9  May.  1814,  Waterville,  1841.' 

MERRILL.  DAVID  b.  7  Oct.  1806,  Yale,  1827,  lives  in  Newburyport. 

*MOOD  Y,  REV.  JOSHUA  b.  1632,  Harv.  1653.  ord.  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  1671,  was 
minister  of  the  first  church  in  Boston,  from  23  May,  1684,  till  1692,  and  died  in  Bos- 
ton, 4  July,  1697,  in  his  65th  year. 

MOODY,  REV.  SAMUEL  b.  4  Jan.  1675,  Harv.  1697,  ord.  in  York,  20  Dec.  1700,  and 
there  died  13  Nov.  1747. 

MOODY,  SAMUEL  b.  1700,  Harv.  1718,  commanded  the  fort  at  Pemaquid,  then  fort 
George,  was  a  physician  in  Brunswick,  where  he  died  in  1758. 

MOODY,  REV.  JOHN  b.  1705,  Harv.  1727, ord.  in  Newmarket,  25  Nov.  1730, and  died 
15  OcL  1778.  aged  73. 

MOODY,  REV.  AMOS  b.  20  Nov.  1739,  Harv.  1759,  ord.  in  Pelham,  N.  H.  20  Nov. 
1765,  dismissed  in  1792.  and  died  22  March,  1819.  aged  79. 

MOODY,  REV.  SILAS  b.  28  April,  1742,  Harv.  1761,  ord.  in  Arundel  9  Jan.  1771,  and 
died  April.  1816. 

MOODY,  STEPHEN  b.  Harv.  1790,  was  a  lawyer  in  Gilmanton,  N.  H. 

where  he  died. 

MOODY,  SAMUEL  b.  Dart.  1790,  moved  to  Hallowell,  Me.  where  he  died. 

MOODY,  NATHAN  b.  Dart.  1795,  resided  in  Hallowell,  Me. 

MORSE,  REV.  JOHN  b.  13 'Sept.  1670,  Harvard,  1692,  ord.  in  Newton  on  Long  Island 
in  1697. 

MORSE,  REV.  JOSEPH  b.  10  Feb.  1072,  Harv.  1695.  ord.  in  Stoughton,  now  Canton, 
30  Oct,  1717,  and  died  29  Nov.  1732. 

MORSE.  PARKER  b.  20  April,  1715.  Han-.  1734. 

MORSE.  HUMPHREY  b.  1SOS,  Amh.  1834,  and  died  in  Newbury.  April,  1S36. 

MORSS,  REV.  JAMES  D.  D.  b.  25  Oct.  1779,  Harv.  1800,  ord.  rector  of  St.  Paul's 
church  in  Newburyport,  where  he  died  26  April,  1842. 

MOSELEY,  REV.  WILLIAM  OXNARD  Harv.  1836,  b.  27  April,  1815,  and  is  settled 
in  Scituate,  Mass. 


356  APPENDIX. 

NEWMAN,  SAMUEL  jr.  Amh.  1840,  now  in  Newbury. 

NORTHEND,  WILLIAM  BUMMER  Bowd.  1843,  is  studying  law. 

NORTON.  STEPHEN  S.  6  Feb.  1788,  Harv.  1805,  and  died  young. 
NOYES,  REV.  JAMES  b.  4  March,  1640,  Harv.  1659,  was  a  preacher  in  Stonington, 

Conn.  1664,  ord.  there  10  Sept.  1676,  and  died  30  Dec.  1719. 
NOYES,  REV.  MOSES  b.  6  Dec.  1643,  Harv.  1659,  was  the  first  minister  in  Lyme, 

Conn,  and  died  there  10  Nov.  1726,  aged  83. 
NOYES,  REV.  NICHOLAS  b.  22  Dec.  1647,  Harv.  1667,  preached  in  Haddam,  Conn. 

13  years,  ord.  in  Salem  14  Nov.  1683,  and  died  13  Dec.  1717,  aged  70. 

NOYES,  REV.  EDMUND  b.  29  March,  1729.     Harv.  1747,  ord7in  Salisbury,  20  Nov. 

1751,  and  died  12  July,  1809. 
NOYES,  EBENEZERb.  1739,  Nassau  1759,  was  a  physician  in  Dover,  where  he 

died  11  Aug.  1767,  a^ed  28. 

NOYES,  REV.  NATHANIEL  b.  12  Aug.  1735,  Nassau  Hall  1759,  ord.  in  Southamp- 
ton, N.  H.  23  Feb.  1763.  dismissed  8  Dec.  1800,  and  died  in  Newburyport,  Dec.  1810, 

aged  75. 

NOYES,  REV.  THOMAS  b.  Harv.  1795,  and  died  in  Newbury. 

NOYES,  NATHAN  M.  D.  b.  Dart.  1796,  was  a  physician  in  Newburyport, 

and  died  Sept.  1842. 
NOYES,  REV.  JEREMIAH  '  Dart.  1799,  ord.  16  Nov.  1803,  in  Gorham, 

and  died  15  Jan.  1807. 

NOYES,  MOODY  Harv.  1800. 

NOYES,  DANIEL  b.  29  Jan.  1739,  Harv.  1758,  was  register  of  probate  for  Essex,  and 

died  in  Ipswich  21  March,  1815,  aged  77. 
NOYES,  JOSHUA  b.  1739,  Nassau,  1759,  was  pastor  elect  of  the  church  in  Kingston, 

N.  H.  and  died  8  July,  1773,  aged  34. 

NOYES,  JOHN  b.  9  Mav,  1709,  Harv.  1753.     He  died  13  Aug.  1759,  aged  50  years. 
NOYES,  REV.  GEORGE  R.  b.  6  March,  1798,  Harv.  1818,  ord.  in   Brookfield,  Mass. 

31  Oct.  1827,  resettled  in  Petersham  15  Oct.  1834,  and  is  now  a  professor  in  Harvard 

university. 

NOYES,  FRANCIS  V.  M.  D.  22  Sept.  1809,  Dart.  1831,  is  a  physician  in  Newburyport. 
NOYES.  DANIEL  P.  Yale,  1840,  is  now  a  tutor  in  Yale  college. 

O'BRIEN,  JOHN  M.  Bowd.  1806,  is  a  lawyer  in  Boston. 

OTIS,  REV.  GEORGE  14  July,  1797,  Harv.  1615.  was  a  tutor  and  professor,  rector  of 

Christ  church,  Cambridge,  and  died  25  Feb.  1828. 
PARISH.  MOSES  P.  Bowd.  1822. 

PARSONS,  SAMUEL  H.  son  of  Rev.  Jonathan  P.  of  Newburyport.  b.  at  Lyme,  Conn. 

14  May,  1737,  Harv.  1756,  was  a  lawyer  in  Middletown,  Conn,  was  a  major-general 
in  the  Revolutionary  army,  was  an  aid  to  general  Washington,  by  whom  he  was 
afterward  appointed  governor  of  the  Northwestern  territory.    He  was  drowned  in  Big 
Beaver  creek,  Ohio,  Nov.  12,  1789,  aged  52. 

PARSONS,  MOSES  b.  13  May,  1744,  at  Gloucester,  Harv.  1765,  practiced  law  in 
Haverhill,  where  he  died. 

PARSONS,  THEOPHILUS  LL.D.  A.  A.  S.  b.  24  Feb.  1750,  Harv.  1769.  Chief 
justice  sup.  jud.  court,  Mass. 

PARSONS,  JONATHAN  G.  23  July,  1761,  Yale  1777,  and  died 

PARSONS,  THEODORE  b.  Aug.  1751,  Harv.  1773,  went  out  from  Newburyport  as 
a  surgeon  in  the  Bennington  privateer,  and  was  lost  in  1779.  A  young  'man  of  emi- 
nent abilities  ami  distinguished  virtues.' 

PARSONS,  THEOPHILUS  b.  17  May,  1797,  Harv.  1815,  and  practices  law  in  Boston. 

PARSONS,  CHARLES  C.  b.  8  April,  1782,  Harv.  1801. 

PARSONS.  WILLIAM  b.  17  Feb.  1800,  Harv.  1818. 

PEARSON,  ELIPHALET  LL.  D.  A.  A.  S.  b.  11  June,  1752,  Harv.  1773,  and  died 
in  Greenland,  N.  H.  Sept.  1826,  aged  74.  He  was  prof.  lang.  Harv.  univ.  and  prof, 
sac.  lit.  And.  iheol.  sem. 

PEARSON,  ABIEL  M.  D.  b.  1756,  Harv.  1779,  was  a  physician  in  Andover,  where  he 
died.  May,  1827,  a°:ed  71. 

PERLEY,  JEREMIAH  b.  1 1  March,  1784,  Dart.  1803,  was  a  lawyer  in  Orono,  Me. 

PERKINS,  HENRY  C.  M.  D.  b.  Harv.  1824,  is  a  physician  in  Newbury- 

port. 

PETTINGELL.  AMOS  b.  20  Oct.  1804,  Yale,  1821,  was  tutor  three  years  from  1827, 
and  died  30  Nov.  1831,  aged  27. 

PIDGIN,  REV.  WILLIAM  b.  1  March,  1771,  Dart.  1794.  ord.  in  Hampton,  N.  H.  27 
Jan.  1796,  dismissed  July,  1807,  and  resettled  in  Minol,  Me.  11  Feb.  and  dismissed  14 
Aug.  1819. 

PIERCE,  NATHANIEL  Bowd.  1844. 

PIERCE,  DANIEL  b.  Harv.  1728. 

PIERCE,  CHARLES  b.  2  Feb.  1720,  Harv.  1744,  and  died  1788. 


APPENDIX.  357 

PIERCE,  REV.  THOMAS  b.  11  Oct.  1737,  Harv.  1759,  ord.  in  Scarboro,  Me.  Sept. 

1762.  and  died  26  Jan.  1775. 

PIERCE,  EDWIN  W.  b.  15  May,  1819,  Arab.  1838,  and  died  13  Aug.  1840. 
PIKE,  REV.  JAMES  b.  1  March,  1703,  Harv.  1725,  ord.  in   Somersworth,  N.  H.  28 

Oct.  1730,  and  died  19  March,  1792,  aged  89. 

PIKE,  REV.  JOHN  b.  3  July,  1813,  Bowd.  1833,  ord.  in  Rowley  11  Nov.  1841. 
PIKE,  FRANCIS  V.  b.  Yale  1833,  and  died 

PIKE,  ROBERT  G.  Harv.  1843. 

PLUMER,  THOMAS  Arab.  1838. 

PLUMER,  DANIEL  M.  D.  b.  4  May,  1819,  Dart.  1840,  is  a  physician  in  Newburyport. 
PLUMER,  HORACE  b.  26  April,  1821,  Dart.  1840,  is  a  lawyer. 
PLUMER,  DAVID  M.  D.  Brown  1821.  is  a  physician  in  N.  H. 

POOR,  DANIEL  N.  M.  D.  b.  16  July,  1758,  Harv.  1777,  was  a  physician  in  Newbury, 

where  he  died  23  Jan.  1837,  aged  78. 
PRICE,  REV.  EBENEZER  b.  14  Sept.  1771,  Dart.  1793,  ord.  in  Belfast,  Me.  29 

Dec.  1796,  left  22  Sept.  1802,  and  was  resettled  in   Boscawen,  N.  H.  26  Sept.  1804. 
PRINCE,  BENJ.  L.  b.  24  July,  1782,  Dart.  1807,  and  died  in  Cincinnati  11  Aug.  1815. 
RAND.  EDWARD  S.  LL.  B.  15  March,  1809,  Harv.  1828,  is  a  lawyer  in  Boston. 
RAWSON,  REV.  EDWARD  b.  Harv.  1653. 

RAWSON,  REV.  GRINDAL  b.  in  Boston,  Harv.  1678. 
ROGERS,  JOHN  M.  D.  Dart.  1816,  was  a  physician  in  Boscawen,  and  died 

6  Jan.  1830. 
ROLFE,  REV.  BENJAMIN  b.  13  Sept.  1662,  Harv.  1684,  ord.  in  Haverhill,  Jan.  1690, 

and  was  killed  by  the  Indians  29  Aug.  1708. 
ROLFE.  BENJAMIN  b.  S  July,  1710,  Harv.  1727,  was  clerk  of  the  county  court,  and 

died  21  Oct.  1738. 

ROLLINS.  JOH.X  RODMAN  Dart.  1836. 

ROLFE.  REV.  BENJAMIN  b.  1734,  Harv.  1777,  ord.  in  Parsonsfield,  Me.  Jan.  1795, 

dismissed  May,  1815.  and  died  1826.  aged  62. 

ROBERTS.  ROBERT  b.  28  Dec.  1754,  Harv.  1771,  died  in  one  of  the  W.  I.  islands. 
SAWYER.  WILLIAM  M.  D.  Harv.  1788. 

SAWYER,  JOSEPH  Williams  1813. 

SAWYER,  THOMAS  Dart.  1805. 

SAWYER,  MICAJOH  MR.  M.  D.  b.  15  July,  1737,  Harv.  1756,  was  a  physician  in 

Newburyport,  and  died  29  Sept.  1815,  aged  78. 
*SEWALL,  JUDGE  SAMUEL  b.  28  March,  1652,  Harv.  1671,  and  died  in  Boston  1 

Jan.  1730,  a<j.  77. 
SE  WALL,  STEPHEN  b.  1715,  Harv.  1731,  taught  school  for  many  years  in  Newbury 

and  Newburyport,  and  died  in  1795,  aged  80. 

SIMPSON,  PAUL  M.  D.  b.  Harv.  1831,  is  a  ohysician  in  Boston. 

SPRING,  PINCKNEY  b.  Yale  1819. 

SPRING,  REV.  GARDINER  MR.  D.  D.  at  Ham.  b.  Yale  1805,  ord.  in 

N.  Y.  8  Aug.  1810. 
SPRING,  REV.  SAMUEL  b.  Yale  1811,  March  21  ord.  in  Abington 

resettled  in  Hartford,  Conn.  6  Dec.  1826. 
STEVENS,  REV.  TIMOTHY  b.  23  Sept.  1641,  Harv.  1687. 
STONE,  EBEN  F.  Harv.  1843,  is  studying  law. 

SMITH,  REV.  DAVID  Harv.  1790. 

STICKNE  Y,  PETER  LE  BRETON  Dart.  1839,  is  a  physician  in  Phil- 

adelphia. 
STICKNE  Y,  JOHN  Harv.  1804.     Clerk  of  the'court  in  Boston,  and  died 

1S32. 

SWETT.  COL.  SAMUEL  Harv.  1800,  resides  in  Boston. 

SWEETSER,  REV.  SETH  15  March,  1807,  Harv.  1827,  was  a  tutor  in   Cambridge, 

ord.  in  Gardiner,  Me.  23  Nov.  1836,  dismissed  8  Nov.  1838,  and  is  now  settled  in 

Worcester.  Mass. 
SHORT,  REV.  MATTHEW  b.  14  March,  1688,  Harv.  1707,  ord.  in  Attleboro'  12  Nov. 

1712.  dismissed  31  May,  1715,  preached  at  Saco,  Me.  resettled  in  Easton,  Mass,  and 

died  15  April,  1731. 
SMITH,  REV.  DANIEL  T.  b.  17  Sept.  1S13,  Amh.  1831,  was  assistant  instructor  at 

Andover  1834-6.  ord.  in  Sherburne,  Mass.  5  Dec.  1836. 

STOREY,  CH.  W.  Harv.  1835.  a  lawyer  and  clerk  of  h.  of  rep. 

TAPPAN,  REV.  BENJAMIN  b.  28  Feb.  1721,  Harv.  1742,  ord.  in  Manchester,  Mass. 

1 1  Sept.  1745,  and  died  6  May.  1790.  in  his  70th  year. 

TAPPAN,  ENOCH  S.  M.  D.  b.  3  March,  1782,  Harv.  1801,  is  a  physician  in  Au- 
gusta, Me. 

TAPPAN,  DAVID  b.  May,  1784,  Harv.  1804. 
TAPPAN,  REV.  BENJAMIN  b.  Nov.  1788,  Harv.  1805,  ord.  in  Angusta,  16  Oct.  1811. 


358  APPENDIX. 

TAPPAN,  REV.  DANIEL  D.  b.  20  Oct.  1798,  Bowd.  1822,  ord.  in  Alfred,  Me.  23 
April,  1828,  dismissed  28  Feb.  1832,  and  settled  in  N.  Marshfield,  23  Jan.  1839. 

TOPPAN,  REV.  CHRISTOPHER  b.  15  Dec.  1070,  Harv.  1091,  ord.  in  Newbury,  9 
Sept.  1090,  and  died  23  July,  1747. 

TOPPAN,  EDMUND  son  of  Christopher  b.  7  Dec.  1701,  Harv.  1720,  was  a  physician 
in  Hampton,  and  died  28  Nov.  1739,  aged  38. 

TOPPAN,  BEZALEEL  brother  to  Edmund,  b.  7  March,  1705,  Harv.  1722,  settled  in 
Salem,  and  died  1702,  aged  57. 

"TOPPAN,  REV.  AMOS  b.  7  Feb.  1730,  Harv.  1758,  ord.  in  Kingston,  1701,  and  died 
23  June,  1771. 

TENNEY,  ALBERT  G.  MR.  Bowd.  1835,  resides  in  Boston. 

TENNEY,  REV.  DAVID  b.  1748,  Harv.  1708,  ord.  IS  Sept.  1771,  in  Barrington,  N.  H. 
and  died  1778,  aged  30. 

THOMAS,  THOMAS  b.  20  Sept.  1773,  Harv.  1790. 

THURSTON,  JOHN  MR.  M.  D.  b.  Harv.  1807,  died, 

TILT  ON,  WARREN  Harv.  1844. 

TITCOMB,  WILLIAM  S.  b.  25  Oct.  1781,  Harv.  1801,  and  died  28  June,  1831. 

TITCOMB,  ISAAC  Amh.  1830. 

TOMPSON,  SAMUEL  b.  1  Sept.  1091,  Harv.  1710,  ord.  in  Gloucester,  28  Nov.  1710, 
arid  died  9  Dec.  1724. 

TRACY,  JOHN  b.  19  April,  1757,  Harv.  1771. 

TUCKER,  JOHN  b.  11  Aug.  1753,  Harv.  1774,  was  clerk  of  the  court  in  Suffolk,  and 
died 

TUCKER,  BARNARD  b.  2  April,  1700,  Harv.  1779,  was  a  physician  in  Wenham  and 
died  24  Jan.  1832. 

TUCKER,  REV.  ED  RICHARD  b.  4  Feb.  1810,  Dart.  1835. 

TUFTS,  REV.  JOSHUA  b.  4  Oct.  1710,  Harv.  1730,  ord.  in  Litchfield,  Dec.  1741. 

TYNG,  DUDLEY  A.  MR.  LL.  D.  b.  3  Sept.  1700,  Harv.  1781,  and  died  1  Aug.  1829, 
aged  09. 

TYNG,  REV.  STEPHEN  H.  MR.  prof,  at  Jefferson  coll.  Harv.  1817,  is  settled  in 
Philadelphia,  in  the  church  of  the  Epiphany. 

TYNG,  GEORGE  Harv.  1822. 

TYNG,  REV.  JAMES  H.  b.  in'  Boston,  Bowd.  1827,  resides  in  Philadelphia. 

WALSH.  JOHN  Harv.  1814,  is  a  lawyer  in  Kentucky. 

WEBBER,  D.  D.  REV.  SAMUEL  b.  13  Jan.  1700,  Harv.  1784,  was  tutor,  professor, 
and  president  of  Harvard  college  1800,  and  died  11  July,  1810. 

WEBBER,  REV.  JOHN  brother  to  Samuel,  b.  11  May,  1702,  Dart.  1792,  ord.  in  San- 
down,  1790,  dismissed  in  1800,  settled  in  Campton  Feb.  1812,  dismissed  12  March, 
1815,  moved  to  Porter,  on  the  Scioto,  and  was  living  in  1829. 

WEBSTER,  REV.  NICHOLAS  b.  19  Oct.  1073,  Harv.  1095,  preached  in  Manchester 
in  1700. 

WHEELWRIGHT,  ISAAC  W.  b  1801,  Bowd.  1821.  formerly  principal  of  an  Acade- 
my in  Newburyport,  now  of  one  in  Quito,  in  S.  America. 

WHEELWRIGHT,  JOSEPH  M.  D.  b.  29  Dec.  1791,  Harv.  1811. 

WHEELWRIGHT,  WILLIAM  W.  Harv.  1S24. 

WHTPPLE,  CHARLES  K.  b.  17  Nov.  1808.  Amh.  1831. 

WILBUR,  HARVEY  M.  D.  Amh.  1838,  is  a  physician  in  Dana,  Worces- 

ter co.  Mass. 

WILLIAMS,  WILLIAM  b.  0  Aug.  1814,  Bowd.  1835. 

WOART,  REV.  JONATHAN  L.  Harv.  1828,  episcop.  of  Tallahasse, 

Flor.  perished  in  the  Pulaski,  June,  1838. 

WHITE,  HON.  PHILLIPS  Harv.  1772,  rep.  U.  S.  cong. 

WOOD,  DAVID  Harv.  1814,  a  ship  master. 

WOOD,  REV.  HORATIO  b.  1  Dec.  1807,  Harv.  1827,  settled  in  Lowell. 

WOOD,  BARTHOLOMEW  Dart.  1841. 

WOODMAN,  REV.  JOSEPH  b.  1748,  Nassau,  1700,  ord.  in  Sanbornton,  13  Nov.  1771, 
and  died  28  Sept.  1807. 

*WOODBRIDGE,  REV.  TIMOTHY  b.  1050,  Harv.  1074,  ord.  in  Hartford.  Conn.  18 
Nov.  1085,  and  died  30  April,  1732. 

*WOODBRIDGE,  REV.  JOHN  b.  Harv.  1004,  ord.  in  1007,  in  Killingby, 

Conn,  removed  to  Wethersneld,  and  was  there  installed.  He  died  in  1090. 

WOODS,  LEONARD  jun.  b.  24  Nov.  1807,  U.  C.  1827,  formerly  prof,  of  sacred  lite- 
rature in  the  theol.  seminary,  Bangor,  formerly  editor  of  Lit.  and  Theol.  Review, 
N.  Y.  appointed  president  of  Bowdoin  College,  Me.  1839. 

WOODBRIDGE,  JOHN  MR.  Harv.  1710,  died  in  Newbury,  13  Dec.  1731. 

He  taught  the  public  school  in  Newbury  many  years. 

YOUNG,  WILLIAM  Harv.  1810,  died  at  sea. 


APPENDIX.  359 

The  preceding  catalogue  is  doubtless  far  from  being  complete,  not- 
withstanding the  pains  that  have  been  taken  to  make  it  as  full  and  ac- 
curate as  possible.  Of  so  large  a  town  as  Newbury,  from  which  so 
many  families  have  emigrated  to  various  parts  of  the  country  and  the 
world,  and  whose  history  comprehends  a  period  of  more  than  two  cen- 
turies, there  are  probably  many  natives,  entitled  to  a  place  in  this  cata- 
logue, whose  names  thus  far  have  eluded  my  research.  Deficient  as 
it  is,  it  contains  the  names  of  more  than  three  hundred  persons,  which 
in  point  of  numbers  or  intelligence,  will  bear  comparison  with  those  of 
any  town  in  New  England  or  the  Union.  Among  them  may  be  men- 
tioned the  late  judge  Parsons,  judge  Lowell  and  his  sons  John  Low- 
ell and  Francis  C.  Lowell,  president  Webber,  professor  Pearson,  with 
many  others  who  are  also  numbered  with  the  dead.  Among  the  liv- 
ing, are  three  of  the  professors  in  Harvard  university,  the  presidents 
of  Bowdoin  and  Greenville  colleges,  and  others,  whom  it  might  be 
deemed  invidious  to  mention.  Nor  let  any  one  suppose  that  the  dis- 
tinguished sons  of  Newbury  are  confined  to  the  ranks  of  those  who 
have  received  a  collegiate  education.  She  has  contributed  her  full 
proportion  of  those,  who,  without  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  education, 
have,  both  in  civil  and  military  life,  done  honor  to  themselves  and  their 
country.  Nor  will  her  philanthropists,  her  merchants,  her  scientific  and 
practical  mechanics,  be  forgotten,  so  long  as  Andover  seminary  and  the 
city  of  Lowell  remain  as  monuments  of  the  munificence  of  Messrs. 
Brown  and  Bartlet,  and  the  scientific  skill  of  Messrs.  Lowell  and 
Moody.  To  do  justice  to  the  characters  of  such  men  who  have  passed 
from  among  the  living,  would  require  a  volume,  and  even  to  enume- 
rate the  results  of  the  inventive  genius  of  a  Perkins,  would  occupy  a 
larger  space  in  this  book  than  can  be  spared.  A  passing  notice  in  its 
appropriate  place,  of  these  and  many  others,  is  ah1  that  my  limits  will 
afford. 


CONCLUSION. 


On  reviewing  the  preceding  pages,  the  intelligent  reader  will  readily 
discover  many  omissions  and  deficiencies,  which  it  is  the  object  of  these 
pages  to  supply  as  far  as  the  limited  space  allotted  me  will  permit. 
With  materials  on  hand  sufficient  for  another  volume,  I  find  no  small 
difficulty  in  making  from  them  a  proper  selection.  To  do  this  the  more 
correctly,  I  shall  follow  the  order  of  time,  and  of  course  shall  first  allude 
to  the  Indians,  so  far  as  they  are  connected  with  the  town  of  Newbury. 
From  history,  tradition,  and  the  many  specimens  of  arrow-heads,  pestles, 
gouges,  pipes,  and  hatchets,  which  have  at  various  times  been  found  in 
Newbury,  it  is  evident  this  region  was  once  the  habitation  and  resort 
of  many  of  them.  Says  Hubbard,  page  thirtieth, '  when  the  English  first 
settled  any  plantations  along  the  coast  since  called  New  England,  there 
were  several  nations  of  these  Indians,  that  were  in  some  kinde  of 
confederacy  one  with  another  against  some  other  of  their  potent  neigh- 
bors, that  were  att  enmity,  and  commonly  they  agreed  to  be  at  peace 
with  those  that  spake  the  same  language.  Those  that  were  seated 
more  eastward  about  Pemmaquid  and  Kennebecke,  were  called 
Tarratines,  betwixt  whom  and  those  that  lived  about  Piscataqua, 
Merrimacke,  and  Agawam,  now  called  Ipswich,  had  arisen  some 
deadly  feud,  upon  the  accornpt  of  some  treachery  used  by  those  west- 
ern Indians  against  the  others ;  so  as  every  year  they  were  afraid  of 
being  surprised  by  them,  which  made  them  upon  every  occasion  to  hide 
themselves  among  the  English,  after  they  were  settled  in  any  of  those 
places.'  Thus  we  find  in  Winthrop,  volume  first,  page  twenty-seventh, 
'  Lord's  day  [June]  thirteenth.  In  the  morning  the  sagamore  of 
Agawam  and  one  of  his  men  came  aboard  our  ship  and  stayed  all 
day.'  Hubbard,  also,  page  one  hundred  and  thirtieth,  says,  'the  next 
morning  Masconomo  with  one  of  his  men  came  aboard,  being  the 
sagamore  (which  is  the  land  proprietor)  of  that  side  of  the  country 
towards  cape  Anne,  to  bid  them  welcome.'  So  few  in  number  was 
the  tribe  of  this  chieftain,  that  he  gladly  availed  himself  of  the  protec- 
tion of  the  English  against  the  Tarrantines,  of  whom  they  stood  in 
great  fear.  Agawam,  at  that  time,  comprehended  the  whole  territory 
from  Merrimac  river  on  the  north,  to  Nanmkeag  river  on  the  south ; 
from  Cochichawick,  now  Andover,  on  the  west,  and  to  the  sea-side  on 
the  east.  Johnson  styles  it,  'the  sagamoreship  or  earldom  of  Agawam, 
now  by  our  English  nation  called  Essex/  From  this,  and  several 
Indian  deeds  I  have  seen,  it  appears  that  Agawam  included  the  towns 
of  Bradford,  Boxford,  Newbury,  Rowley,  Ipswich,  Hamilton,  Wenham,. 
and  Beverly,  and  so  forth,  of  which  the  Indian  deed  of  Bradford  calls 
Masconomo,  Masconnomet,  Muschanomit,  alias  Masquanomanit,  alias, 
46 


362  CONCLUSION. 

Maschanomet,  alias  John  of  Agawam,  '  chief  sagamore  and  native  pro>- 
prietor  of  the  whole  territory/ 

August  eighth,  1631,  says  Winthrop,  'the  Tarrantines,  to  the  number 
of  one  hundred,  came  in  three  canoes  and  in  the  night  assaulted  the 
wigwam  of  the  sagamore  of  Agawam,  slew  seven  men,  and  wounded 
John  Sagamore  [Masconomo]  and  James  [of  Saugus  and  some  others 
(whereof  some  died  after)  and  rifled  a  wigwam  of  Mr.  Craddock's 
men,  kept  to  catch  sturgeon,  and  took  away  their  nets  and  biscuit.' 

In  December,  1634,  the  small  pox  prevailed  among  the  Indians,  and 
removed  great  numbers.  In  some  places  'the  English  helped  to  bury 
whole  families  and  yet  escaped  the  contagion.'*  Thus  the  remnant  of 
what  the  pestilence  of  1617  had  spared,  the  small  pox  of  1634  had 
nearly  exterminated  before  the  first  white  settler  had  pitched  his  tent 
within  the  limits  of  Quascacanquen,  which  was  the  following  spring. 
The  first  intimation  that  we  have  that  any  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants 
resided  at  this  time  in  Newbury,  has  been  mentioned,  page  fortieth, 
where  lot  sixty-one  is  granted  to  '  John  Indian.'  That  a  few  Indians  re- 
sided in  Newbury  for  some  years  after  it  was  settled  by  the  English,  there 
is  sufficient  evidence,  but  the  probability  is  that  the  number  did  not  at 
any  time  exceed  a  dozen.  In  1650,  April  sixteenth,  '  Great  Tom, 
Indian,  sold  to  the  selectmen  of  Newbury  all  his  right,  title  and  interest 
in  all  the  woods,  commons  and  lands  in  Newbury  together  with  his 
th***t  acres  of  planting  land  as  it  is  fenced  in  one  entire  fence  in 
Newbury  lying  neer  Indian  hill!  I  have  as  yet  seen  no  other  notice, 
either  preceding  or  subsequent,  of  'John  Indian  or  Great  Tom.'  See 
page  fifty-third.  Perhaps  John  Indian  was  John  Sagamore,  alias 
Masconomo;  but  it  is  useless  to  speculate.  In  1638,  June  twenty- 
eighth,  Masconomo  deeds  to  Mr.  John  Winthrop,  for  twenty  pounds, 
^all  the  right,  property  and  claim  I  have  or  ought  to  have,  unto  all  the 
land,  lying  and  being  in  the  bay  of  Agawam,  alias  Ipswich,  being  so 
called  now  by  the  English,  as  well  as  such  land,  as  I  formerly  reserved 
unto  my  own  use  at  Chebacco,  as  also  all  other  land  belonging  to  me  in 
these  parts,  Mr.  Dummers  farm  only  excepted,'  and  so  forth.  Why  Mr. 
Dummer's  farm,  which  had  been  granted  him  by  the  general  court  in 
1635,  and  confirmed  to  him  by  the  town,  was  excepted,  or  what 
arrangement,  if  any,  had  been  made,  concerning  the  remaining  part  of 
Newbury  township,  I  have  no  means  of  knowing.  The  next  intimation 
that  I  find  of  any  Indians  residing  and  owning  land  in  Newbury,  is  the 
following : 

'At  a  general!  court  held  in  Boston.  May  twenty-second,  1661. 

'Whereas  same  Indians  as  we  are  informed  pretend  an  interest  in  some  parts  of  the 
Ifemd  of  Henry  Sewall,  which  lieth  at  Newbury  falls  sometimes  Mr.  John  Spencer's, 
•which  lands  were  purchased  of  ye  said  Mr.  Spencer  arid  also  have  been  confirmed  by 
thetowne.  It  is  therefore  ordered  by  ye  court  yt  if  it  shall  appear  to  said  Sewall  yt 
ye  said  Indians  or  any  other,  have  any  legal  right  unto  any  part  of  ye  said  land,  that  ye 
said  Henry  Sewall  shall  hereby  have  liberty  to  purchase  ye  same  of  ye  said  Indians. 
Vera  copia. 

'EDWARD  RAWSON,  Secretary? 

The  Indians,  to  whom  the  preceding  court  order  alluded,  must  have 
been  the  family  of  '  Old  Will,'  of  whom  in  1663,  March  thirty-first,. 
Richard  Dummer  bought  seven  acres  for  £  10.  Of  him  and  his  fami- 

*  Lewis.  t  This  should  probably  be  '  three.' 

46 


CONCLUSION.  363 

ly  I  learn  nothing  further  till  June  eighteenth,  1679,  when  one  '  An- 
drew Pittimee,  attorney  for  Job,  brought  an  action  against  Mr.  Henry 
Sewali  '  for  detaining  from  the  said  Job  about  an  160  acres  of  land  at 
Newbnry  falls,  that  \vas  the  land  of  Old  Will  the  said  Job  his  grand- 
father.' As  usual  in  such  cases,  testimony  was  taken  on  both  sides. 
On  June  sixteenth,  1679,  Daniel  Denison  thus  writes  to  Henry  Sewali. 
'  I  am  desired  by  Job,  (who  married  Old  Will's  grandchild,  and  in  her 
right  claims  the  land  at  Newbury  falls,  which  he  long  possessed  and 
now  you  say  you  purchased  of  him,)  that  you  would  make  out  your 
right  and  they  will  be  satisfied,  or  otherwise  let  him  or  them  have 
quiet  possession,  or  otherwise  let  the  law  decide  the  title.  I  can  give 
no  advice  but  believe  they  will  prove  Old  Will  and  others  long  to  have 
possessed  land  thereabouts  and  our  law  confirms  their  right  to  what 
they  possessed.  I  shall  trouble  you  no  further,  resting  your  loving 
friend.'  On  June  twenty-first,  Thomas  Brown  testifies  in  favor  of 
Mr.  Sewali.  In  favor  of  Job  I  copy  the  following  depositions. 

'  The  deposition  of  Moses  Bradstreet  and  Alice  Homes. 

'  These  deponents  testifieth  and  saith  that  aboute  foure  yere  ago,  the  spring  of  the 
year  before  the  warre  begune  thaye  harde  olde  Wil  ingin  of  Newbury  fales  complain- 
ing that  master  Shovvel  ronged  him,  and  that  he  had  got  his  lande  and  cept  it  from 
him.  Moses  Bradstreet  asked  Wil  if  he  had  not  soulde  his  lande  to  Master  Showell, 
he  slid  no,  he  never  had  resived  wone  farthin  of  Master  Showell  for  his  land.' 

'  Allis  Homes  further  saith  that  she  lived  with  Mr.  Dummer  and  knew  that  Old 
Will  lived  and  planted  at  the  falls  for  many  yeares  till  Mr.  Sewall's  tattle  worried  him 
out,  and  that  Mr.  Dummsr  was  desirous  to  buy  old  Will's  land,  but  old  Will  sayd  he 
•was  not  willing  to  sell  it  from  his  children. 

'June  23,  1679.     Sworne  to  before  me 

D.  DENISON. 

c  The  deposition  of  John  Todd  aged  about  58  years. 

'This  deponent  saith  that  several  times  he  heard  Old  'Will  (so  called)  Indian  com- 
plaine  thit  Mr.  Shovvel  of  Newbury  had  taken  away  in  his  possession  a  great  part  of 
his  land  at  Newbury  falls,  which  complaint  was  before  the  late  wars  with  the  Indians, 
tit  which  complaint  this  deponent  suth  that  he  was  much  troubled  and  grieved  at  it 
That  an  old  Indian  should  so  complaine  of  such  Injury  done  him  by  any  English. 
He  further  saith  he  knew  Old  Will  lived  above  Newbury  falls  above  five  and  thirty 
years  since,  and  that  for  the  most  of  that  time  he  lived  there.' 

*  Sworne  before  me  June  23,  1679, 

DANIEL  DENISON.' 

How  this  case  was  decided,  if  decided  at  all  in  court,  I  am  not  in- 
formed, but  from  two  subsequent  deeds  that  I  have  seen,  it  appears 
that  the  claims  of  Old  Will's  heirs  were  considered  valid,  as  in  1681, 
May  fourteenth,  Henry  Sewali  buys  for  £20  of  '  Job  Indian,  grand- 
child, Hagar  Indian,  and  Mary  Indian,  daughters  to  Old  Will  Indian, 
late  of  Ne\vbury  Falls  deceased,  the  Indian  field,  containing  by  esti- 
mation one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  he  it  more  or  less  together  with 
all  their  land  in  Newbury  bounds  though  without  ye  said  lines,  and 
so  forth,  and  that  no  other  Indians  can  lay  any  rightful  claim  thereto.' 

From  these  and  other  papers  it  appears  that  in  1663,  there  was  in 
Newbury  but  one  Indian  family,  and  that  was  the  family  of  Old  Will, 
which  consisted  of  himself,  wife  and  three  daughters,  Hagar,  Mary, 
and  Kate,  who  had  probably  married  out  of  town.  From  the  Ipswich 
records  it  appears  that  Masconomo  the  sagamore  of  Agawam,  was  liv- 
ing in  February,  1656,  as  they  say  '  left  to  the  seven  men  to  grant  to 
the  sagamore  six  acres  of  planting  land,  where  they  shall  appoint,  for 


364  CONCLUSION. 

to  plant,  but  not  propriety  to  any  one  but  himself.'  In  1658,  June  eigh- 
teenth, the  town  '  granted  to  the  sagamore's  widow,  to  enjoy  that  par- 
cel of  land,  which  her  husband  had  fenced  in,  during  the  time  of  her 
widowhood.'  This  gives  us  nearly  the  time  when  Masconomo  died. 
His  widow  was  living  in  1676,  aged  sixty-eight.  From  the  testimony 
of  Peckanaminet,  alias  Ned  Acocket,  alias  Old  Ned  of  Ipswich,  who 
was  sixty-eight  in  1676,  Old  Will  was  then  living,  but  had  deceased 
before  1679.  From  a  report  made  to  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts 
in  1676,  it  appears  'that  there  were  at  and  about  Ipswich  eight  men 
and  seventeen  women  and  children,  Indians,  and  Wonolanset's  com- 
pany at  D  unstable  about  sixty  persons.' 

After  the  death  of  Old  Will  it  is  probable  that  his  family  removed 
from  the  town,  as  I  find  no  recorded  intimation  of  any  native  Indians 
residing  in  Newbury  subsequent  to  that  period,  with  the  exception  of 
1  Gasper  Megonier,'  who,  ou  rrecords  say,  died  December  eighth,  1707. 
There  is  a  tradition  that  an  Indian  squaw  was  living  near  Indian  Hill 
for  a  few  years  after  Mr.  Samuel  Poor  bought  land  and  moved  there, 
which  as  near  as  I  can  ascertain,  was  not  far  from  1705. 

I  hear  nothing  further  of  any  Indians  in  Newbury,  or  of  any  claims 
set  up  by  any  of  them  for  any  land  in  Newbury  till  the  year  1700, 
when  the  grand-children  of  Masconomo  the  sagamore  of  Agawam  laid 
claim  to  the  whole  '  sagamoreship  or  earldom  of  Agawam,  now  by  our 
English  called  Essex,'  which  was  lying  between  Bass  and  Merimac 
rivers,  and  had  not  been  already  sold.  This  claim  was  allowed  by  the 
inhabitants,  and  deeds  were  given  to  the  towns  of  Bradford,  Boxford, 
Newbury,  Manchester,  Gloucester,  Beverly,  and  so  forth.  Gage's  his- 
tory of  Rowley  contains  the  deeds  to  Bradford  and  Boxford,  both  of 
which  contain  the  following  sentence.  '  Whereas  divers  Englishmen, 
many  years  since  in  the  life  time  of  the  said  Masquonomonit  alias 
Muschonomit,  and  by  and  with  his  knoivleclge,  and  license  and  good 
liking,  did  enter  upon  subdue  and  improve  an  English  plantation,  and  so 
forth.'  These  deeds  are  very  long  and  are  signed  by  '  Samuel  Eng- 
lish, Joseph  English,  and  John  Umpee,  grandchildren,  and  the  next 
true,  rightful  and  lawful  heirs  of  Masquonomonit'  and  so  forth.  The 
deed  to  Newbury  is  as  follows. 

'  To  all  people  to  whom  these  presents  shall  come  Samuel  English,  grandson  and 
heir  of  Maschanomet  the  Sagamore  of  Agawam,  an  Indian  in  the  Province  of  ye  Mas- 
sachusetts in  New  England,  sendeth  greeting;  Know  ye  said  Samuel  English  good 
and  sufficient  reasons  moving  him  thereto,  but  especially  for  and  in  consideration  of 
ye  full  and  just  summe  of  £10  in  Current  money  of  New  England  truly  paid  unto  me 
by  Cutting  Noyes,  John  Knight,  Richard  Dole,  John  Worth  and  Joseph  Pike,  select- 
men of  ye  town  of  Newbury  in  ye  County  of  Essex  in  ye  Massachusetts  Bay  in 
New  England,  in  ye  behalfe  of  said  town  of  Newbury,  wherewith  I  ye  said  Samuel 
English  doe  hereby  acknowledge  myself  fully  satisfied  and  paid  and  content  forever 
have  given,  granted,  bargained,  sold  and  confirmed  and  doe  by  these  presents  for  my 
heirs,  executors,  administrators  and  assigns  forever  give,  grant,  bargain  sell  and  con- 
firm unto  ye  abovesaid  selectmen  in  the  behalfe  and  for  the  use  and  propriety  of  said 
towne  and  their  heirs  forever,  a  tract  of  land  containing  10000  acres  be  it  more  or  less 
lying  within  ye  towneship  of  said  Newbury  and  containeth  the  whole  towneship  of 
said  town  and  is  abutted  and  bounded,  East  by  ye  sea  North  and  North  West  by  Mer- 
rimac  river  West  by  Bradford  line  and  South  by  Rowley  line  together  with  all  ye 
wood,  timber,  lands,  grounds,  soyles,  waters,  streams,  rivers,  ponds,  huntings,  fishings, 
stones,  mines,  minerals,  hereditaments  and  all  ye  appurtenances  belonging  to  ye  same 
and  to  every  part  thereof  within  said  towneship  to  have  and  to  hold  to  them  ye  said 
Cutting  Noyes.  John  Knight,  Richard  Dole,  John  Worth  and  Joseph  Pike  selectmen  in 
ye  name  and  behalfe  and  for  ye  use,  benefit,  and  behoofe  of  said  town  of  Newbury  and 
their  heirs,  executors,  administrators  and  assigns  in  peaceable  and  quiet  possession 


CONCLUSION.  365 

forever  freely  and  -clearly  acquitting  and  discharging  all,  and  from  all,  manner  of 
claims  and  demands  whatsoever,  and  further  I  ye  said  Samuel  English  doe  hereby 
covenant,  promise  and  grant  to  and  with  ye  said  selectmen  in  ye  behalle  of  said  towne 
that  at,  and  until,  ye  unsealing  and  delivery  of  these  presents,  I  bad  full  power  and 
lawful  authority  to  grant  and  convey  ye  abovesaid  premises  with  ye  appurtenances 
and  every  part  thereof  as  aforesaid,  it  descending  to  me  from  Maschanomet  Sagamore 
as  aforesaid  and  I  ye  said  Samuel  English  shall  and  will  forever  hereafter  lully  and 
freely  release  and  relinquish  my  whole  right  and  title  thereunto  and  every  part  thereof 
hereby  binding  myselfe,  heirs,  executors  and  administrators  forever  to  defend  ye  said 
selectmen  and  ye  town  of  said  Newbury  in  their  possession  of  all  ye  above  granted 
and  specified  premises  and  their  heirs  forever  from  ye  lawful  claimes  of  all  persons 
whatsoever  in  any  manner  of  wise  and  I  ye  said  Samuel  English  have  hereto  set  my 
hand  and  seal  this  tenth  day  of  January  1701  in  the  12th  year  of  our  Sovereign  Lord 
William  ye  3d  King  over  England. 

SAMUEL  ENGLISH  and  a  seal. 

Samuel  English  ye  surviving  heir  of  Maschanomet  ye  Sagamore  of  Agawam  ap- 
peared before  us  ye  subscribers  ye  10th  day  of  January  in  ye  12th  year  of  his  Majes- 
tie's  reign  Anno  Domini  1701  and  acknowledged  ye  above  written  instrument  to  be 
Lis  act  and  deed  befere 

DANIEL  PIERCE!  Just. 

THOMAS  NOYES  }  Pacis. 

The  preceding  account  embodies  all  the  authentic  information  con- 
•cerning  the  Indians  of  Newbury  that  I  have  been  able  to  find,  suitable 
for  publication.  There  are  various  traditions  concerning  them,  some 
of  which  are  probably  correct,  while  others  cannot  be  true.  To  one 
of  these  traditions  I  shall  allude  in  another  place.  Of  the  Indians  in 
New  England  Hubbard,  page  thirtieth,  thus  speaks  :  '  Betwixt  Kenne- 
becke  and  Connecticut  were  observed  to  bee  about  twenty  societies 
or  companeyes  of  these  salvages,  when  the  English  first  came  upon 
this  coast.  1.  at  Kennebecke.  2.  Casco  bay.  3.  Saco.  4.  Piscataqua. 
^5.  Merrimacke.  6.  Tire  river  of  Newberry,  att  the  falls  of  which  was  a 
noted  plantation  of  them,  by  reason  of  the  plenty  of  fish  that  almost 
at  all  seasons  of  the  yeere  used  to  be  found  there,  both  in  winter  and 
summer.  7.  Att  Agawam,  called  now  Ipswich,  was  another  noted  and 
-desirable  place,  for  plenty  of  several  sorts  of  fish  found  there  in  time  of 
yeere,  both  at  the  harbor's  mouth  shell  fish  of  all  sorts,  and  other  kinds 
higher  up  the  stream,  and  to  which  belonged  those  of  Newberry  falls, 
that  lyes  in  the  midway  betwixt  Merrimack  and  Agawam/ 

These  Indians  were  called  Aberginians,  and  however  large  the 
population  in  this  region  might  once  have  been,  it  is  certain  that  from 
various  causes  the  race  had  become  nearly  extinct,  when  the  white 
population  had  determined  to  occupy  the  territory  thus  providentially 
vacated,  and  it  was  with  '  the  knowledge,  license  and  good  liking'  of 
the  few  that  remained,  that  the  first  settlers  of  Newbury  took  posses- 
sion of  this  then  howling  wilderness,  now  the  comfortable  abode  of 
civilization  and  all  its  countless  blessings.  The  '  goodly  heritage'  that 
we  now  enjoy  is  the  fruit  of  privations,  sufferings  and  labors"  almost 
unexampled,  and  to  those  who  were  the  pioneers  in  the  subjugation  of 
this  rude  and  rocky  region  we  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  which  we  can 
In  no  other  way  repay  than  by  transmitting  to  posterity  the  precious 
legacy  which  we  now  inherit.  Rightly  to  estimate  its  value  we 
should  know  its  cost,  and  be  able  in  some  good  degree  to  appreciate 
the  sacrifices  made  by  our  forefathers.  In  order  therefore  to  have  a 
b'etter  idea  of  the  difficulties  they  encountered,  let  us  examine  a  little 
more  minutely  than  we  have  done,  their  qualifications  for  the  task 
before  them.  For  the  purpose  of  illustration  the  first  settlers  of  New- 


366  CONCLUSION. 

bury  may  be  conveniently  divided  into  three  classes,  viz.  1.  The 
rich  and  educated  gentlemen,  who  by  birth  or  profession  were  entitled 
to  the  appellation  of  Mr.  .  2.  The  artizaus  or  mechanics,  who  had 
emigrated  from  the  populous  towns  in  various  parts  of  England,  but 
principally  from  Wiltshire,  and  3.  The  yeomen,  or  farmers,  laborers 
and  servants.  Of  such  men  the  first  settlers  of  New  bury  were  com- 
posed, and  the  appearance  of  the  first  company  as  they  ascended  the 
river  Quascacunquen,  to  take  possession  of  their  new  home,  accoutred 
as  they  were  in  the  peculiar  costume  of  that  day,  could  we  now  wit- 
ness it,  would  be  indeed  a  curiosity.  To  them  with  a  slight  variation 
the  words  of  the  poet  would  be  truly  applicable, 

"Twere  worth  whole  years  of  modern  life, 
One  glance  of  their  array.' 

Before  them  was  an  unbroken  wilderness,  covered  with  a  forest,  the 
heavy  growth  of  centuries,  which,  with  the  exception  of  the  few 
patches  of  corn  ground,  once  cultivated  by  the  Indians,  had  to  be 
cleared  away  before  they  could  raise  even  the  necessaries  of  life.  On 
witnessing  the  sufferings  and  privations  of  this  band  of  voluntary  ex- 
iles, most  of  whom  had  been  accustomed  to  the  privileges,  convenien- 
ces, and  even  luxuries  of  their  father-land,  and  many  of  whom  had 
brought  with  them  their  rich  dresses,  and  silver  plate,  making  a  strik- 
ing contrast  with  their  log  habitations  and  their  rustic  fare,  the  inquiry 
would  naturally  arise, 

1  What  sought  they  thus  afar? 
Bright  jewels  of  the  mine1? 
The  wealth  of  seas?  the  spoils  of  war? 
They  sought  a  pure  faith's  shrine.' 

This  was  the  mainspring  of  all  their  movements,  the  secret  of  their 
indomitable  perseverance,  the  guarantee  of  their  success.  Of  those 
qualities,  deemed  essential  to  the  establishment  and  perpetuation  of 
the  rights  and  privileges  of  a  people  determined  to  be  free,  our  ances- 
tors had  their  full  proportion.  With  a  firmness  amounting  sometimes 
even  to  obstinacy,  and  a  foresight,  for  which  we  should  ever  feel 
grateful,  they  assisted  in  laying  the  foundation  of  those  institutions, 
which,  the  lapse  of  more  than  two  centuries  has  left  without  any  ma- 
terial change.  In  substance  their  municipal  and  ecclesiastical  regula- 
tions were  the  same  then  that  they  are  now,  subject  only  to  those 
incidental  variations  and  improvements  consequent  upon  the  increase 
of  wealth,  knowledge,  and  refinement.  In  one  respect  the  church  at 
Newbury  was  more  liberal  than  any  of  the  neighboring  churches. 
Says  Lech  ford  in  1642,  '  of  late  some  churches  are  of  opinion  that 
any  may  be  admitted  to  church  fellowship,  that  are  not  extremely 
ignorant  and  scandalous,  but  this  they  are  not  very  forward  to  practise 
except  at  Ne-wbuiy.'  The  difficulties  that  occurred  between  them  and 
Mr.  Parker  concerning  church  government,  have  already  been  men- 
tioned, and  no  careful  reader  can  have  failed  to  notice  that  during  the 
whole  of  their  twenty-five  years  controversy  with  Mr.  Parker,  they  at- 
tended his  ministrations  with  the  greatest  regularity,  added  new  seats 
in  the  meeting  house  to  accommodate  the  increasing  number  of  wor- 
shipers, and  paid  his  salary  without  hesitation  at  the  very  time  they 
had  suspended  him  from  his  office  of  ruling  elder,  but  had  with  great 


CONCLUSION.  367 

condescension  granted  him  liberty  '  as  a  gifted  brother,  to  preach  for 
the  edification  of  the  church  if  he  pleased.'  See  page  eighty-second. 
In  their  mode  of  public  worship,  they  differed  but  little  from  their 
successors.  The  psalms  were  sung  in  regular  order,  from  the  first  to 
the  last,  four  on  each  sabbath.  The  precentors  sat  in  the  pews  near 
the  deacons'  seat  in  front  of  the  pulpit.  A  contribution  was  made 
every  sabbath  afternoon,  one  of  the  deacons  saying,  '  brethren,  now 
there  is  time  left  for  contribution,  wherefore,  as  God  hath  prospered 
you,  so  freely  offer.'  *  Says  Jocelyn,  '  on  Sundays  P.  M.  when  sermon 
is  ended,  the  people  in  the  gallery  come  down  and  march  two  and  two 
abreast  up  one  ile  and  down  another,  until  they  come  before  the  desk, 
for  pulpit  they  have  none.  Before  the  desk  is  a  long  pue,  where  the 
elders  and  deacons  sit,  one  of  them  with  a  money  box  in  his  hand,  in 
which  the  people  as  they  pass  put  their  offerings,  some  one  shilling, 
some  two  shillings,  or  a  half  crown  or  five  shillings  according  to  their 
ability,  and  good  will,  after  this  they  sing  a  psalm.'  This  custom  of 
taking  a  collection  every  sabbath  was  omitted,  says  Mr.  Felt,  in  1763. 
In  addition  to  the  care  of  the.  contribution  box,  the  deacons  had  every 
sabbath  the  charge  of  the  hour-glass,  which  was  set  running  at  the 
commencement  of  the  sermon,  which  was  hardly  considered  satisfac- 
tory, if  it  were  not  continued  till  the  sands  of  an  hour  had  ceased 
running.  Sometimes  the  horologe  was  again  turned,  and  the  thirsty 
congregation  invited  'to  take  another  glass.'  To  this  custom,  Mr. 
Shepard,  of  Lynn,  thus  alludes :  '  thou  art  restless  till  the  tiresome 
glass  be  run  out  and  the  tedious  sermon  be  ended.'  In  their  mode  of 
living,  they  differed  in  many  respects  from  us.  For  nearly  a  century 
after  Newbury  was  settled,  the  inhabitants  had  never  used  or  seen 
either  tea,  coffee,  or  potatoes.  As  a  substitute,  they  used  bean  and 
pea  porridge,  broth,  hasty  pudding  and  milk,  both  morning  and  evening, 
and  turnips  in  abundance  In  the  county  records  of  1657,  I  find  the 
following :  '  Steven  Dow  did  acknowledge  to  him  it  was  a  good  while 
before  he  could  eate  his  masters  food  viz.  meale  and  milk  or  drinke 
beer,  saying  he  did  not  know  it  was  good,  because  he  was  not  used  to 
eat  such  victnall,  but  to  eate  bread  and  water  porridge  and  to  drink 
water.'  Large  quantities  of  barley  were  raised,  and  malt  was  a  staple 
article,  and  for  many  years  after  the  first  settlement,  excellent  crops  of 
wheat  were  raised.  The  common  beverage  was  beer,  till  the  growth 
of  their  orchards  enabled  them  to  substitute  cider,  the  consumption  of 
which  has  of  late  years  been  very  much  diminished.  Of  fish,  they 
had  an  abundance,  especially  sturgeon,  cod-fish  and  bass,  of  which  the 
two  latter  were  used,  not  only  for  food,  but  to  manure  their  corn-fields, 
till  forbidden  by  law  in  1639.  Though  living  near  the  ocean,  there 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  among  the  original  settlers,  for  many  years, 
but  two  persons,  who  were  at  all  acquainted  with  nautical  affairs,  till 
Aquiia  Chase  was  hired  in  1646,  to  remove  from  Hampton  to  this 
place,  for  the  purposes  already  mentioned.  The  inconveniences  of 
their  want  of  foresight  in  laying  out  the  highway  called  Water  street, 
in  what  is  now  Xewburyport,  are  felt  to  this  day,  the  road  being  laid 
out  only  two  rods  in  width,  while  in  all  other  parts  of  the  town,  the  high- 
ways were  from  four  to  seven  rods  wide.  From  many  other  consider- 
ations, it  is  also  evident  that  nearly  all  the  first  settlers  were  not  a 

*  Lechford. 


368  CONCLUSION. 

maritime  people,  and  therefore  did  not  appreciate  their  commercial 
advantages.  Of  the  ninety-one  grantees  of  Newbury,  two  were 
clergymen,  eight  were  'gentlemen,'  two  or  three  had  been  bred  as 
merchants,  one  maltster,  one  physician,  one  schoolmaster,  one  sea- 
captain,  one  mate  of  a  ship,  one  dyer,  one  glover,  three  or  four  tanners, 
seven  or  eight  shoemakers,  two  wheelwrights,  two  blacksmiths,  two 
*  liniien  weavers,'  two  weavers,  one  cooper,  one  saddler,  one  sawyer, 
and  two  or  three  carpenters.  Of  the  remainder,  only  a  few  are  styled 
yeomen. 

Such  were  the  men,  who  commenced  and  accomplished  the  task  of 
subduing  this  part  of  the  American  wilderness,  here  planted  the  tenth 
church  in  Massachusetts,  and  covered  these  delightful  hills  and  valleys, 
once  the  gloomy  abode  of  savages  and  wild  beasts,  with  the  evidence 
and  result  of  untiring  industry  and  patient  perseverance,  with  all  that 
is  agreeable  in  civilization,  and  consoling  in  Christianity.  That  the  first 
settlers  of  New  England  in  general,  and  of  Newbury  in  particular, 
possessed  the  fullest  confidence  in  the  righteousness  of  their  principles, 
and  that  their  design  to  plant  the  standard  of  the  cross  in  this  heathen 
land  met  the  approbation  of  their  heavenly  Father,  who  would  grant 
success  to  their  undertaking,  there  is  abundant  evidence.  The  first 
judge  Sewall,  whose  father  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  pioneers 
in  the  settlement  of  Newbury,  thus  speaks  in  his  '  New  Heaven  upon 
the  New  Earth,'  under  date  of  1697,  in  answering  the  objections  of 
those,  who  asserted  that  there  was  '  an  imposibility  of  subsisting  here  : ' 
'  It  is  remarkable  that  Mr.  [Thomas]  Parker,  who  was  a  successful! 
Schoolmaster  at  Newbury  in  Barkshire,  in  the  happy  days  of  Doctor 
[William]  Twisse ;  was  much  about  this  time  [1634]  preaching 
•and  proving  at  Ipswich  in  Essex  [Mass.]  That  the  passengers  came 
over  upon  good  Grounds,  and  that  God  would  multiply  them  as  he  did 
the  children  of  Israel.  His  text  was  Exodus  1 :  7.  And  the  children 
of  Israel  were  fruitful  and  increased  abundantly,  and  multiplied,  and 
waxed  exceeding  mighty ;  and  the  land  was  filled  with  them.  As 
Mr.  Nicholas  Noyes,  who  was  an  Auditor,  and  is  yet  living,  lately 
informed  me,  Mr.  Parker  was  at  this  time,  1634,  principally  concerned 
in  beginning  Newbury,  where  the  learned  and  Ingenious  Mr.  Benjamin 
Wbodbridge,  Doctor  Twisse  s  Successor  had  part  of  his  Education  under 
his  Uncle  Parker.  Mary  Brown  [now  Godfrey]  the  first-born  of 
Newbury  is  yet  alive ;  and  is  become  the  Mother  and  Grandmother  of 
many  children.  And  so  many  have  been  born  after  her  in  the  Town, 
that  they  make  three  or  four  large  Assemblies,  wherein  God  is  solemnly 
worshipped  every  Sabbath.  And 

1  As  long  as  Plum  Island  shall  faithfully  keep  the  commanded  Post ; 
Notwithstanding  the  hectoring  words  and  hard  Blows  of  the  proud  and 
boisterous  Ocean  ;  As  long  as  any  Salmon,  or  Sturgeon  shall  swim  in 
the  streams  of  Merrimack ;  or  any  Perch,  or  Pickeril  in  Crane  Pond: 
As  long  as  the  Sea  Fowl  shall  know  the  Time  of  their  coming,  and 
not  neglect  seasonably  to  visit  the  Places  of  their  Acquaintance  ;  As 
long  as  any  Cattel  shall  be  fed  with  the  Grass  growing  in  the  Meadows, 
which  do  numbly  bow  themselves  before  Turkie-Hill ;  As  long  as  any 
Sheep  shall  walk  upon  Old-  Town  Hills,  and  shall  from  thence  pleas- 
antly look  down  upon  the  River  Parker,  and  the  fruitful  Marishes  Iving^ 
beneath ;  As  long  as  any  free  and  harmless  Doves  shall  find  a  White 
Oak  or  other  Tree  within  the  Township,  to  perch,  or  feed,  or  build  a 


CONCLUSION.  369 

careless  Nest  upon ;  and  shall  voluntarily  present  themselves  to  per- 
form the  office  of  Gleaners  after  Barley- Harvest;  As  long  as  Nature 
shall  not  grow  Old  and  dote;  but  shall  constantly  remember  to  give 
the  rows  of  Indian  Corn  their  education,  by  Pairs ;  So  long  shall 
Christians  be  born  there;  and  being  first  made  meet,  shall  from  thence 
be  Translated  to  be  made  partakers  of  the  Inheritance  of  the  Saints 
in  Light.  Now,  seeing  the  Inhabitants  of  Nev:bury,  and  of  New 
England,  upon  the  due  Observance  of  their  Tenure,  may  expect  that 
their  Rich  and  gracious  LORD  will  continue  and  confirm  them  in  the 
Possession  of  these  invaluable  Privileges  :  Let  us  have  grace,  whereby 
we  may  serve  God  acceptably  with  Reverence  and  godly  Fear,  For  our 
Got  is  a  consuming  Fire  Hebrews  12 :  28,  29.' 

The  anticipations  of  the  good  old  man,  thus  quaintly  expressed,  have, 
I  trust,  thus  far  been  realized,  though  sheep  no  longer  walk  on  '  Old- 
town  hills,'  and  '  barley  harvest'  has  ceased  to  be.  The  '  three  or  four 
large  assemblies,'  in  1697,  have  increased  to  seventeen,  as  maybe  seen 
by  the  following  tables,  containing  the  names  of  the  pastors  in  the 
churches  in  Newbury,  Newbury  port,  and  West  Newbury. 


47 


370 


CONCLUSION. 


-a  -S  T3  ^  -T  -d  TS 


O  CO  CO  CO  t^  I-  00 


O'OCOOCOOCOTJ'CO'' 
COCOCOI>OTi<OO'—  i 

cococococor-i>oooo 


CD  —  T-I  Oi  OJ  ^ 

CO  Ci  TJ«  00  C5  — i 

O        CO  CD  J>  I>  J>  00 


05 


^ 

O  CO  CO  CD  !>  I>         I> 


bC 

5   .    ^ 

o 

O  O5 


H 


H  bb  bb~! 

rt   3   3   C 


s   a^ 

0)          i-i 


t^OO^-i—  (COOTf 
OiO-HOJCOCO-^ 

r-oooooooooooo 


i>.  r>  r»  oo  (» 


WP     <5 

~(xTof  rf  ocTt^o"^ 

O  O7i  CO  {>•  J>-  O  00 


oo      cco 

CO         i—  i  —  t 


o    I 


w 


| 

8, 

•q 

*^2 

O  CD 

C 
i—  i 

o' 

CO 

00 

H 

1 

Iff 

0 

1 

2.0   bD 

Cu 

^ 

o^l 

P 
- 

r~  i>  o  06 

W 
£ 

i 

• 

en 

|||| 

g 

a.  —  •  o  co 

H 

CO 

— 

. 

i  i  tt 

s 

1 

ft    03    oS    « 

p 

O 

OJ  CO  00  C) 

r-  i>  r-  00 

i—  1  r-l  i-l  i—  l 

p 
pq 

J>  ?  J>  CO 

W 

| 

3  "  si  = 

» 

^      ^  <- 

g 

rf  00         O 

T^     T-,     CO     CV 

ffi 

O 

J' 

i 

0 

, 
t| 

d~J_«  c" 

p 

O  -C  .-*    o 

en 

— 
H 

1 

li 

CONCLUSION. 


371 


f-  — 

r-   cS 


?"?    o  -?•?;§? 

c-^  r~       r-  x  dc  uo  06 


cs   ti 

ffiffi 


o"  i>  o'  rt  r-"" 

T-  Z  x  do  do 


f--^r 

5  0 

c-  r- 


T-'rf      rf 

l>  00          O 

r~  j>      oo 


-H  —  i         O  O 


II 
Is 


o  o       >»J 


-- 


ft 

-ft   ft 
eft 


-.    O     «     K 

o       .  o 


«m 


i>  r-  r-  oo  oo 


0  t>  I>  X  CO 


3       ®fe  = 

O  Tj-  00 


co  co  ^ 


2  c 


O    ~    rj 

a  « wS 


^        Ji  w  h^   ^ 

g   ^3  §  w  .3    w 

5  -^  g  ^.s      g 


ft   E<5 


x  « 

< 


GO   pfl 


SStlTi 


ffi    c  _r 
tf 


s  s  H. 


•s^i 


^3    O)      ^ 
«  tS    fcD 


C-, 
y) 


00 

1 

bO 

.Settled. 

00  00 

II 

O> 

Graduated. 

T'O" 

I>  00 

o  o 
r-  oo 

j 

*~!  "^ 

H 

J  ~ 

•V  0 

; 

35 

J 

Londonderr 
Newburypo 

H 

i 
i 

M 

Caf 

372 


CONCLUSION. 


i! 

1 

fcb  ^ 

s  Q, 

co  o» 
o* 

Resigned. 

o  r- 

r-C    l-t 

sf 

•g 

of     ^ 

i 

^      c. 

Oi 

Graduated. 

1 

Q 

1 

CO 

3 

1 

1 

i 

c  c  c 

i 

c  c  c 
WWW 

i 

LAMPTON, 
JRY  LUCAS, 
PTHIAS  PLANT, 

1^ 

§* 

S  "5 


>  d 

0)    O 


5'§ 


o  w 

§  c 
2  If 


llf^ 

c   S  ^  o 


~    -2 


S-S'S  S« 


^w^ 

<D  ^2 

lil 

s_     C/3     O 


=     JH     bC 
""      §     § 


*  15 


.  O)  00 

CO    Tf    »-H 

O  00  . 
00  ,-.  > 
»-<  o 


£ 


>    > 
rt   rt 


co 
oo 


IS 

"  CN 


f»if  5 

uOU 


S 


sS'l 


co  coy 


<0  —  TJ;  —  c-  O 
"T  00  O^  O?  OJ  CO 
!>!>«>  00  00  00 


Tf   0>  00   Tf   0 


-5  ^ 


oT      oo"      erf  —  r  o" 

(N         00         Oi  OJ  CO 

t^      r-       i>  uo  oo 


£§£ 


•5g 

11^ 


00  00 


w 


rfoT 


o    *-< 

oi 


~  fci  o 
o  a  c, 


ss 

t-  l>  00 


Ofe 


IP 
III 


Ocoi-5 


CONCLUSION. 


373 


o 
c, 

PS 
5 

P2 
W 

g 

£ 

5 

w 

>* 

23 
03 

w 

PS 
c* 

c 

o 

K 


'S 


W> 

W 


•tfl 


•o  J  S.h: 

•2^^ 


P 
P 

{«      P"^ 

goTOj 

|3^2 
ss<^ 

S«d5 

SS^p 


-5 


S! 

M  ^ 
^< 

>» 

COCU 

a*4 
JO 

aid 
<£; 
ffi< 
u« 


£  °  °° 

' 


w        -O    e 

2  S  «  Q 

SI5-S 


W      J     tc  S 

§  ISSE, 


oj     ^'c: 

w    °  S 

III 


i  14= 

SQ      c  _^  ^  *f 


ftft-S  o 

•C  rt  a) 


This  church  and  s( 
them  tillJune,  1805, 
commenced  building 
16,000  dollars.  It  we 


II 


C*«"£  §      **"      § 

I 


tf 


i«SB2i>Saz~w 

Sggg2^2^S 


374  CONCLUSION. 

\ 

METHODIST  CHURCHES. 

There  are  three  methodist  churches  in  ancient  Newbury.  The  first 
was  erected  in  Adelphi  street,.  Newbury,  in  1825.  Their  first  preacher 
was  reverend  John  Adams,  who  commenced  his  labors  in  1819.  On 
June  twentieth,  1827,  a  church  of  fifteen  persons  was  organized  in 
Newburyport  by  reverend  B.  Otheman,  and  their  meeting-house  dedi- 
cated the  same  day.  It  stands  on  the  site  of  the  first  baptist  meeting- 
house in  Liberty  street.  There  is  .another  methodist  meeting-house 
in  West  Newbury.  The  preacher  in  charge  at  Adelphi  street,  is  the 
reverend  Horace  Moulton,  from  Monson,  Mass.  The  reverend  Brad- 
ford K.  Peirce,  a  native  of  Royalton,  Vt,  a  graduate  in  1841  from  the 
Wesleyan  university,  officiates  in  Liberty  street  church.  In  1834,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  persons  were  added  to  the  church. 

UNIVERSALIST  CHURCH,  MIDDLE  STREET. 

The  universalist  society  was  incorporated  in  1835,  their  meeting- 
house in  Middle  street  was  built  in  1840,  and  dedicated  in  October  of 
the  same  year.  Their  clergymen  have  been  the  reverend  Woodbury  M. 
Fernald,  from  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  reverend  Darius  Forbes,  and  the  reve- 
rend Edwin  A.  Eaton,  from  Gloucester,  Mass.,  who  is  their  present  pastor. 

The  preceding  notices  of  the  ecclesiastical  affairs  of  Newbury  are 
thus  chronologically  presented  to  supply  the  deficiencies  in  the  former 
part  of  the  book.  A  brief  sketch  of  some  of  the  principal  actors  in 
the  religious  and  secular  concerns  of  the  town  with  a  few  incidental 
remarks,  is  all  that  my  limits  will  allow.  Prominent  among  these  was 
the  reverend  Thomas  Parker.  He  was  the  only  son  of  the  reverend 
'renowned  Robert  Parker,  one  of  the  greatest  scholars  in  the  English 
nation.'*  He  was  admitted  into  Magdalen  college,  Oxford,  but  after 
the  exile  of  his  father,  he  removed  unto  Dublin,  and  studied  under 
doctor  Usher,  thence  he  went  to  Holland,  'where  doctor  Ames  favored 
him.'  At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  seventeen  years  before  he  came  to 
America,  he  wrote  and  published  a  treatise  on  repentance,  entitled  'De 
traductione  peccatoris  ad  vitam,'  which  was  highly  celebrated.  He  also 
wrote  several  volumes  on  the  prophecies,  of  which  only  one  on  Daniel 
was  published.  After  his  return  to  England,  he  taught  'the  free  school 
in  Newberry.'  'From  thence  removing  with  several  devout  Christians 
out  of  Wiltshire,  into  New  England,  he  was  ordained  their  pastor,  at  a 
town,  on  his  and  their  account  called  Newberry,  where  he  lived  many 
years,  by  the  holiness,  the  humbleness,  the  charity,  of  his  life,  giving  his 
people  a  perpetual  and  most  lively  commentary  on  his  doctrine.'!  '  He 
was  a  person  of  most  extensive  charity ;  which  grain  of  his  temper 
might  contribute  unto  that  largeness  in  his  principles  about  church 
government,  which  exposed  him  unto  many  temptations,  amongst  his 
neighbours,  who  were  not  so  principled.'  t  Mather  thus  concludes  his 
notice  of  him.  '  He  went  unto  the  immortals  in  the  month  of  April, 
1677,  about  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age  ;  and  after  he  had  lived 
all  his  days  a  single  man,  but  a  great  part  of  his  days  engaged  in  apoc- 
alyptical studies,  he  went  unto  the  apocalyptical  virgins,  who  follow  the 
Lamb  whithersoever  he  goes.'  Says  his  nephew,  the  reverend  Nich- 

*  Cotton  Mather.  f  Cotton  Mather's  Magnalia. 


CONCLUSION..  375 

olas  Noyes,  '  he  kept  a  school,  as  well  as  preached,  at  Newbury,  in  New 
England.  He  ordinarily  had  about  12  or  14  scholars.  He  took  no  pay 
for  his  pains,  unless  any  present  were  freely  sent  him.  Though  he  was 
blind,  yet  such  was  his  memory,  that  he  could  in  his  old  age  teach 
Latin,  Greek  and  Hebrew,  very  artificially.'  Tradition  states,  '  that 
some  ministers,  being  dissatisfied  with  some  of  his  opinions,  came  to 
reason  with  him  on  those  subjects :  they  addressed  him  in  English,  he 
replied  in  Latin  ;  they  followed  him  in  Latin,  he  retired  to  Greek,  and 
to  Hebrew  ;  they  pursued  ;  but  in  Arabic  he  stopped  them.  He  then 
refused  to  be  examined  by  them.'  *' 

Mr.  JAMES  NOTES,  who  was  settled  as  teacher  in  Newbury  with  Mr. 
Parker  as  pastor,  was  the  son  of  a  minister,  who  married  a  sister  of 
Mr.  Robert  Parker,  and  was,  of  course,  a  nephew  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Parker.  '  They  taught  in  one  school  [in  England  ;]  came  over  in  one 
ship ;  were  pastor  and  teacher  of  owe  church;  and  Mr.  Parker  continuing 
always  in  celibacy,  they  lived  in  one  house,  till  death  separated  them 
for  a  time.'  t 

For  a  few  years  after  the  settlement  of  the  town,  their  residence 
was  on  the  west  side  of  the  lower  green,  but,  on  the  removal  of  the 
meeting-house,  Mr.  Noyes  built  a  house  in  what  is  now  called  Parker 
street.  It  is  still  standing,  and  owned  by  one  of  his  descendants,  Mr. 
Silas  Noyes,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  houses  in  Newbury.  Of  Mr. 
James  Noyes,  his  uncle  Parker  thus  writes  : 

'Mr.  James  Noyes,  my  worthy  colleague  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  was  a  man  of 
singular  qualifications,  in  piety  excelling,  an  implacable  enemy  to  all  heresie  and 
schism,  and  a  most  able  warriour  against  the  same.  He  was  of  a  reaching  and  ready 
apprehension,  a  large  invention,  a  most  profound  judgment,  a  rare  and  tenacious,  and 
comprehensive  memory,  fixed  and  unmovable  in  his  grounded  conceptions;  sure  in 
words  and  speech  without  rashness;  gentle  and  mild  in  all  his  expressions,  without  all 
passion  or  provoking  language.  And  as  he  was  a  notable  disputant,  so  he  never  would 
provoke  his  adversary,  saving  by  the  short  knocks  and  heavy  weight  of  argument.  He 
was  of  so  loving,  and  compassionate,  and  humble  carriage,  that  I  believe  never  were 
any  acquainted  with  him,  but  did  desire  the  continuance  of  his  society  and  acquaint- 
ance. He  was  resolute  for  truth,  and  in  defence  thereof,  had  no  respect  to  any  persons. 
He  was  a  most  excellent  counsellor  in  doubts,  and  could  strike  at  an  hair's  breadth, 
like  the  Benjamites,  and  expedite  the  entangled  out  of  the  briars.  He  was  courageous 
in  dangers,  and  still  was  apt  to  believe  the  best,  and  made  fair  weather  in  a  storm.  He 
was  much  honored  and  esteemed  in  the  country,  and  his  death  was  much  bewailed. 
•I  think  he  may  be  reckoned  among  the  greatest  worthies  of  the  age.'t 

In  reference  to  the  celibacy  of  Messrs.  Parker  and  his  nephew,  the 
reverend  Nicholas  Noyes,  of  Salem,  some  person  thus  speaks.  '  Salem, 
December  thirteenth,  1717.  A  specimen  of  New  England  celibacy. 

e  Though  Rome  blaspheme  the  marriage  bed 
And  vows  of  single  life  has  bred 
Chaste  Parker,  Stoughton,  Brinsmade,  Noyes, 
Show  us  the  odds  'twixt  force  and  choice. 
These  undefiled  contracted  here, 
Are  gone  to  heaven  and  married  there.' 

Next  in  order  comes  Mr.  JOHN  WOODBRIDGE,  son  of  the  reverend 
John  Woodbridge  who  married  a  daughter  of  Robert  Parker.  *  Our 

*  Reverend  doctor  Popkin.  t  Magnalia. 


376  CONCLUSION. 

young  Woodbridge  with  the  consent  of  his  parents,  undertook  a  voyage 
to  New  England  in  the  year  1634  ;  and  the  company  and  assistance  of 
his  worthy  uncle  Mr.  Thomas  Parker,  was  not  the  least  encouragement 
of  his  voyage.'*  He  was  then  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  brought 
with  him  a  younger  brother  Benjamin,  of  whom  see  page  350.  His 
farm  was  north  of  Green  street,  Newbury,  and  his  house  stood  on  the 
east  side  of  the  pond  on  the  upper  green.  In  JG41  he  married  Mercy 
Dudley,  a  daughter  of  governor  Thomas  Dudley.  He  was  ordained 
September  sixteenth,  1644,  the  first  minister  of  Andover,  and  was  the 
first  teacher  ever  ordained  in  this  country.  In  1647  he  returned  to 
England,  where  all  his  children  but  the  first  two  were  born,  and 
preached  in  Andover  and  other  places,  till  his  return  to  Newbury,  July 
twenty-Sixth,  1663,  and  here  preached  for  a  short  time.  Of  his  eleven 
adult  children,  three,  John,  Timothy,  and  Benjamin,  were  clergymen, 
and  of  his  descendants,  forty^three  by  the  name  of  Woodbridge  have 
received  a  liberal  education.  For  his  eulogy  see  Mather's  Magnalia. 
His  wife  Mercy  died  July  first,  1691,  aged  seventy.  No  monuments  to 
the  memory  of  these  distinguished  men  are  now  to  be  found  in  the 
burying  ground  where  their  dust  reposes.  On  the  monument  erected 
in  memory  of  the  successor  of  Mr.  Parker,  is  the  following  inscription. 

1 A  Resurrection  to  immortality — is  here  expected — for  what  was  mortal — of  the 
Reverend  Mr.  JOHN  RICHARDSON  (once  Fellow  of  Harvard  College,  afterwards  Teach- 
er to  the  Church  of  Newbury)  putt  off  Apr.  27  1696  in  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  age. 

'  When  Preachers  dy,  the  Rules  the  pulpit  gave, 
To  live  well  are  still  preached  from  the  grave. 
The  Faith  &  Life,  which  your  dead  Pastor  taught 
In  one  grave  with  him,  Syrs  bury  not. 

*  Abi,  Viator. 

A  Mortuo  disce  vivere  moriturus 
E  Terris  disce  cogitare  de  Ccelis.' 

Or  in  English:  '  Go,  Traveler:  From  the  dead  learn  to  live,  as  one 
that  must  die.  From  the  earth  learn  to  think  of  the  Heavens.' 

He  married  Mary  Pierson,  of  Cambridge,  October  twenty- eighth, 
1673. 

On  the  monument  of  his  successor  is  the  following. 

'Here  lyes  the  Body  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  CHRISTOPHER  TOPPAN,  Master,  of  Arts,  fourth 
Pastor  of  the  First  Church  in  Newbury;  a  Gentleman  of  good  Learning,  conspicuous 
Piety  and  Virtue,  shining  both  by  his  Doctrine  and  Life,  skilled  and  greatly  improved 
in  the  Practice  of  Physick  and  Surgery,  who  deceased  July  23, 1747,  in  the  76th  year 
of  his  age  and  the  51st  of  his  Pastoral  Office.' 

Dr.  Toppan  was  a  man  of  talents,  energy  and  decision  of  character, 
and  'would  speak  his  mind.'  A  specimen  of  this  latter  trait  may  be 
seen  on  page  213.  Other  instances  might  be  given,  but  I  shall  men- 
tion only  one.  A  Mr. and  his  wife  once  presented  a  child  for 

baptism.  Not  having  confidence  in  the  man's  sincerity,  he  addressed 
the  congregation  in  these  words,  while  performing  the  rite,  '  I  baptize 
this  child  wholly  on  the  woman's  account.'  In  the  latter  part  of  his 
life  he  was  at  times  partially  deranged,  and  on  one  occasion,  as  I  have 
been  credibly  informed,  carried  a  whip  into  the  church  under  his  cloak, 

*  Mather's  Magnalia. 


v     CONCLUSION.  '       377 

in  order,  as  he  said,  to  scourge  out  the  enthusiasts,  or  '  schemers/  as 
he  called  them,  during  the  period  of  the  excitement  at  the  time  of  the 
'  great  revival'  and  its  incidental  extravagancies.  On  one  occasion  he 
sent  the  following  note  of  thanks  to  the  officiating  clergyman  of  the 
parish.  It  is  accurately  copied  from  the  original,  and  was  probably 
written  during  a  period  of  partial  derangement. 

'  Christopher  Toppan  desires  to  return  thanks  to  God  for  his  goodness  to  him  in 
preserving  of  him,  when  the  Devil  cast  a  mist  before  his  and  his  horse's  eyes,  throw- 
ing of  him  down,  being  in  great  danger,  butt  God  in  his  good  providence  and  his 
Angels  garding  of  him  out  of  the  hand  of  ihe  Devil,  and  after  this  I  could  not  rest 
night  nor  day  thinking  of  it  what  the  Cause  should  be  till  Fryday  morning  it  was  re- 
vealed to  me  that  it  was  because  I  oposed  that  great  work  of  the  Devil.  It  seemed 
that  the  voyce  came  to  me  and  said  I  need  not  truble  myself,  it  was  that  Devil  did  it 
and  Deseaved  all  the  people,  and  now  I  hope  God  will  enable  me  to  oppose  that  great 
work  of  the  Devil  and  the  Instruments  of  it  more^than  ever  I  did.' 

The  following  hitherto  unpublished  letter,  written  much  earlier,  is 
inserted  as  a  better  specimen  of  the  author's  style.  It  was  addressed 
to  j  adge  Sewall. 

AUG.  11,  1721. 
'HoN.  SJR. 

4  Please  to  pardon  my  boldness  for  troubling  you  to  read  a  few  lines  more.  That 
expression  in  my  writing,  which  your  Honor  intimated,  you  did  not  well  understand, 
namely,  That  the  Indians  should  have  convenient  Lands  allowed  ym  for  themselves 
and  posterity,  I  meant  thus,  that  in  case  it  be  found  that  the  Indians  formerly  disposed 
of  so  much  of  their  Land  as  that  they  have  not  left  Lands  convenient  for  themselves, 
that  then  so  much  as  may  be  thought  proper,  of  what  was  purchased  of  them  should 
be  relinquished  to  them  again.  Further  to  open  what  I  intend  I  would  offer  a  few 
things. 

'  1.   That  the  Indians  were  the  first  Proprietors  of  the  Lands  in  this  Country. 

'2.   That  they  had  in  themselves  power  to  dispose  of  and  convey  away  said  Lands. 

'3.  That  what  lands  they  formerly  sold  and  conveyed  away  they  can  have  no  just 
claim  unto.  Now  I  make  no  doubt  but  as  your  Honor  says,  they  have  as  full  and  firm 
a  Right  to  their  Lands,  as  any  which  men  have  to  theirs,  but  then  I  presume  your 
Honor  me'ans,  L:inds  they  have  not  sold. 

:4.  That  if  through  Imprudence  and  Inadvertency  they  have  conveyed  away  so 
much  of  their  Land  to  the  English,  as  that,  if  what  be  conveyed  away,  be  taken  up 
and  settled  by  the  English,  there  be  not  convenient  places  left  for  themstlves  and  pos- 
terity, I  think  it  very  agreeable  to  Reason  and  Religion,  that  the  Government  take  care 
that  such  places  as  may  be  thought  convenient  be  allowed  them  and  Recompense 
made  to  such  Persons  (whose  Predecessors  formerly  purchased  said  Land  of  the 
Indians)  of  Province  Lands  elsewhere. 

•  -I.  That  the  Government,  having  offered  and  done  what  may  reasonably  be  thought 
just  and  fair  on  this  score,  that  then,  if  the  Indians  continue  their  Insolent  Carriages, 
the  English  may  justly  commence  a  warr  against  them  and  expect  God's  blessing  to 
be  with  them  in  their  Endeavours  to  subdue  them,  and  in  the  mean  time,  that  the  En- 
glish in  the  Eastern  parts  maybe  secure  and  safe  I  see  no  way  but  for  the  Government 
to  keep  out  some  hundreds  of  men,  or  a  sufficient  number  to  keep  the  Indians  in  awe 
till  the  People  are  become  strong  enough  to  defend  themselves,  wThich  they  would  in  a 
few  years  be,  were  they  compelled  to  settle  regularly,  and  secured  from  fear  and  dan- 
ger by  a  sufficient  Army  kept  in  a  body  in  those  parts  well  provided  with  snow-shoes 
for  the  Winter  and  a  sufficient  number  of  whale-boats  for  passage  by  water  in  the 
Summer  —  but  let  me  not.  forget  to  mention  here  that  I  can  but  think  it  a  duty  to  make 
a  further  offer  of  the  Gospel  to  them  and  by  degrees  to  Instill  into  their  minds  the  true 
Doctrines  of  Religion,  doubtless  some  of  them  might  be  gained,  more  especially  if  the 
Fryers  could  be  fairly  removed  from  among  them.  I  went  the  last  Spring  to  the 
Eastward  and  being  at  Damariscotta  on  a  Sabbath  day,  there  a  Family  there  and 
several  Persons  besides,  I  preacht  to  them  both  forenoon  and  afternoon,  and  there  being 
hard  by  an  Indian  wigwam,  belonging  to  it  a  Netop  and  his  squaw,  be  about  seventy, 
and  she  near  an  hundred  years  of  age,  not  able  to  stand  or  goe,  both  maintained  by  a 
Kinsman,  a  young  pretty  fellow,  who  went  a  hunting  and  returned  once  a  week  or  fort- 
nighj;  and  brought  them  provisions  to  live  upon  —  The  old  Sannop  came  of  his  own 
accord  on  the  Sabbath  day  to  hear  the  word  preacht  and  gave  diligent  attention.  The 

48 


378  CONCLUSION. 

subject  I  insisted  on  was  that  in  Romans  10.  13.  '  And  whosoever  shall  call  on  the  name 
of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved'  and  in  the  application  I  applyed  myself  to  the  Indian, 
shewing  that  their  nation  if  they  call  aright  on  the  name  of  the  Lord  should  be  saved 
as  well  as  the  English.  The  next  day  I  went  to  his  Wigwam.  He  told  me  'very 
good  speak-um  yesterday '  and  desired  me  to  speak  to  his  squaw  'all  one  I  speak 
yesterday  for  that  very  good.'  —  I  went  several  times  to  his  Wigwam  and  gave 
the  best  advice  I  could  to  the  poor  old  Woman.  She  seemed  to  understand 
what  I  said,  but  was  not  seemingly  so  much  affected  therewith  as  her  husband.  The 
day  I  came  away  he  came  on  board  the  vessel  and  prayed  me  to  goe  once  more  to  his 
Wigwam  and  speak  to  his  old  Squaw  about  God  and  Christ  and  Heaven,  for  may  be, 
me  never  see  her  any  more.  So  I  went  again  and  at  my  coming  away,  the  old  man 
took  me  by  the  hand  expressing  a  great  deal  of  thankfulness  for  the  counsel  and  advice 
I  had  given  his  Squaw.  In  my  discourse  with  the  old  man  I  used  to  mention  and 
open  the  Articles  of  the  Christian  Religion,  which  he  always  readily  assented  unto, 
and  I  am  persuaded  that  by  prudent  methods  in  managing  of  them  sundry  of  them 
might  be  Wrought  upon,  and  amongst  other  methods  I  have  thought  —  but  why  should  I 
presume  .to  dictate  to  any,  who  know  much  better  than  myself  what  will  best  serve  the 
Interests  of  our  gracious  Lord,  in  whose  service  that  I  may  be  found  faithful,  let  me 
have  your  prayers,  as  you  have  his,  who  is,  Sir,  your  most  humble  servant, 

CHRISTOPHER  TOPPAN.' 

To  the  difficulties  which  attended  and  followed  the  settlement  of  the 
reverend  JOHN  TUCKER,  the  colleague  and  successor  of  doctor  Toppan, 
some  allusion  has  been  made,  pages  215,  16.  His  published  works 
amount  to  twenty-two,  many  of  them  controversial  and  defensive. 
'  These  affairs,'  says  the  reverend  doctor  Popkin,  '  he  met  with  firm- 
ness and  strength  of  mind,  and  a  portion  of  native  wit,  which  he  ap- 
pears to  have  reserved  for  such  occasions.  His  sermons  are  very 
serious,  solid  and  perspicuous.'  In  the  latter  part  of  his  ministry  '  he 
enjoyed  much  quietness,  and  always  the  high  esteem  of  his  friends  in 
this  and  other  places ;  and  those,  who  differed  from  him  in  sentiment, 
bare  witness  to  his  good  life  and  conversation.'  '  His  epitaph  records 
his  character  and  the  esteem  of  his  friends.' 

-'  Beneath  are  the  remains  of  the  Rev.  John  Tucker,  I).  D.  Pastor  of  the  first  Church 
and  Congregation  in  this  Town;  who  died  March  22d,  1792  ^Etat  73  —  Blessed  with 
strong  mental  powers,  a  liberal  education,  and  an  uncommon  mildness  of  Temper;  all 
directed  and  improved  by  that  faith,  which  purifies  the  heart;  rendered  him  dearly 
beloved  in  every  Relation  in  which  he  was  placed:  and  more  especially  made  him 
conspicuously  useful  as  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel.  When  meeting  with  peculiar  Dif- 
ficulties, he  eminently  complied  with  that  direction  of  his  Master  to  the  first  Preach- 
ers of  his  Gospel;  Be  ye  wise  as  serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves.  As  he  lived  a  life 
of  piety,  he  met  death  with  serenity.  —  By  his  doctrine  and  example  he  taught  the 
humility,  and  at  his  death  he  exhibited  the  dignity  and  triumph,  of  the  real  Christian.' 
'  To  perpetuate  the  memory  of  so  excellent  a  character,  and  as  a  testimony  of  their 
affectionate  regard,  the  bereaved  flock  have  erected  this  Sepulchral  Stone.' 

No  monument  has  as  yet  been  erected  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  MOOR, 
'who,'  says  the  reverend  doctor  Popkin,  'was  a  man  of  genius,  as  well 
as  goodness.'  He  was  the  son  of  deacon  Moor,  of  Londonderry,  New 
Hampshire. 

The  first  settled  minister  in  the  second  parish,  now  the  first,  in  West 
Newbury,  was  the  reverend  SAMUEL  BELCHER.  Of  him,  much  to 
the  supposed  discredit  of  the  parish,  the  story  has  been  often  told  that 
when  he  grew  old,  and  unable  to  preach,  his 'parishioners  cast  him  off 
and  carted  him  back  to  Ipswich,  his  native  place.  The  facts  are  these. 
He  was  settled,  as  was  then  the  custom,  as  their  pastor  for  life,  with 
this  proviso,  that  if  he  remained  in  town,  he  should  have  the  use  of 
the  parsonage-house  and  land  as  long  as  he  lived,  but  if  he  chose  to 
leave  town,  they  should  revert  to  the  use  of  the  parish. 


CONCLUSION.  379 

Preferring,  when  no  longer  able  to  preach,  to  spend  the  few  remain- 
ing days  of  his  pilgrimage  in  his  native  place,  he  relinquished  the  use 
of  the  parsonage,  and  had  his  goods  and  furniture  put  into  an  ox-cart 
for  removal.  He  then  said  to  his  friends,  'if  you  will  place  the  beds 
in  the  cart  properly,  I  will  ride  with  the  goods,  as  I  can  go  that  way 
easier  than  any  other.'  This  was  accordingly  done,  the  old  gentleman 
placed  on  the  bed,  and,  at  his  own  request,  he  was  literally  carted  out 
of  town.  This,  in  the  absence  of  any  thing,  in  that  day,  like  a  chaise, 
or  any  other  modern  vehicle,  was  undoubtedly  the  easiest  and  most 
comfortable  mode,  in  which  he  could  be  conveyed  home,  and  should 
never  be  mentioned  as  a  transaction  at  all  discreditable  to  the  persons 
thus  engaged.  In  the  Boston  News-Letter  of  1715, 1  find  the  following : 

c  Ipsivich,  March  12/fc,  1714-15. 

'This  day  we  buried  Rev.  Samuel  Belcher  in  a  good  old  age  having  lived  near  76 
years.  He  was  for  many  years  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  at  the  Isle  of  Shoals  and 
afterward  settled  at  Newbuiy.  His  religion  was  pure  and  undefiled.  His  divinity 
sound  and  orthodox,  his  conversation  very  cheerful  and  agreeable,  yet  grave  withal. 
But  that  which  highly  distinguished  him  in  his  order  was  his  excellent  gift  in  preach- 
ing, nothing  beinsr  more  entertaining  than  his  ordinary  sermons.  Like  a  well  instructed 
scribe,  as  he  was,  he  always  brought  forth  things  new  and  old,  profitable  and  pleasant. 

'  Omne  tulit  punctum,  qui  miscuit  utile  dulci.  A  few  months  before  his  death,  he 
removed  to  Ipswich,  the  place  of  his  birth.' 

Of  the  successors  of  Mr.  Belcher,  I  have  seen-  no  monuments  or 
epitaphs,  as  only  one  of  them,  the  reverend  Moses  Hale,  died  in 
Newbury. 

On  the  monument,  erected  on  'burying  hill,'  in  Newburyport,  to  the 
memory  of  the  reverend  JOHN  LOWELL,  is  the  following  inscription: 

'  Here  lies  buried  the  body  of  the  Rev.  John  Lowell,  M.  A.  late  pastor  of  the  Con- 
gregational Society  in  Newburyport.  He  was  born  in  Boston  March  14,  1703.  educated 
at  Harvard  in  the  University  of  Cambridge,  where  he  took  his  decree  anno  1721,  and 
was  settled  in  the  sacred  ministry  of  the  gospel  Jan.  19,  1726.  He  was  a  gentleman 
well  skilled  in  the  learned  languages,  of  great  reading  and  extensive  knowledge,  and 
of  conspicuous  piety  and  virtue,  and  of  talents  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  ministerial 
office.  While  he  lived,  he  was  highly  respected  and  beloved  by  his  people,  for  whose 
welfare  he  had  a  tender  and  affectionate  concern,  and  was  honored  and  greatly  lamented 
by  them  when  he  died,  which  was  on  Friday  morning  May  15  1767  in  the  64th  year  of 
his  ase  and  42d  of  his  pastoral  office. 

'This  monument,  erected  to  his  memory  by  the  unanimous  voice  of  the  people 
of  his  charge,  testifies  to  the  world  their  grateful  remembrance  of  his  faithful  services.' 

On  the  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  reverend  THOMAS  GARY,  is 
the  following : 

'  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Gary,  A.  M.  Senior  Pastor  of  the  First 
Religious  Society  in  Newburyport.  He  was  born  in  Charlestown,  Mass.  18  Oct.  1745, 
educated  at  Harvard,  1761,  settled  11  May,  1768.  and  died  24  Nov.  1808.  A  man  of 
strong  comprehensive  and  improved  mind,  of  active  and  extended  benevolence,  engaging 
manners,  fervent  piety  and  inflexible  integrity.  A  preacher,  plain,  evangelical,  earnest 
and  pathetic.  Deeply  impressed  with  the  importance  of  his  office,  he  spoke  with  dig- 
nity, force  and  feeling,  enlightening  the  understandings  of  his  hearers  and  warming 
their  hearts.  A  firm  believer  in  the  religion  he  taught,  it  was  his  support  and  conso- 
lation, the  rule  of  his  life  and  the  ground  of  his  hope.  A  good  and  respected  citizen, 
a  kind  husband,  a  most  affectionate  father  and  a  most  ardent  friend.  He  was  just, 
candid  and  sincere,  charitable  without  ostentation,  affable  without  pride,  proving  his 
faith  by  his  works,  and  looking  to  Jesus  for  his  reward. 

;  In  the  42d  year  of  his  age,  it  pleased  God  to  take  him  off  his  labors  by  a  stroke  of 
the  palsy. 


380  CONCLUSION. 

c  Twenty  years  he  languished  under  the  pressure  of  infirmities,  but  he  was  patient 
and  God  rewarded  him. 

'  Though  his  usefulness  was  diminished,  his  friends  never  forgot  him.  To  the  last 
he  had  their  warmest  affections,  their  reverence  and  their  sympathy.  He  felt  this  and 
was  happy.  His  sufferings  had  prepared  him  for  his  departure.  The  messenger  came 
at  midnight  and  he  was  ready.  God  will  remember  his  servant  at  the  last  day.' 

On  the  grave-stone  erected  in  West  Newbury  to  the  memory  of  the 
reverend  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  is  the  following  inscription  : 

'Rev.  William  Johnson  was  born  in  Newbury  31  May,  1706,  graduated  at  Harvard 
1727,  ordained  15  Sept.  1731,  and  died  22  Feb.  1772  in  his  66th  year. 

'  He  was  a  gentleman  of  good  understanding,  of  uniform  piety  and  virtue,  of  a  very 
amiable  temper,  tender  and  affectionate  in  his  family  connections,  a  benevolent  and 
faithful  friend.' 

The  reverend  MOSES  HALE,  who  was  settled  in  Byfield  parish  in 
1706, '  labored  in  word  and  doctrine '  with  the  people  of  his  charge  from 
1702, 'about  41  years,  during  which  term  he  was  an  orthodox  and 
lively  preacher  of  the  great  truths  of  religion  and  a  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ/  Prince's  Christian  History,  volume  first,  page  382. 

On  the  tomb  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  reverend  MOSES  PARSONS, 
is  the  following  inscription  : 

'  To  the  memory  of  the  Rev.  Moses  Parsons,  late" Pastor  of  the  church  of  Christ  in 
this  Parish,  who  died  Dec.  14,  1783  in  the  68th  of  his  age  and  in  the  40th  year  of  his 
ministry. 

'Farewell,  blest  man  !  soon  may  we  meet  again 
In  climes  celestial,  free  from  toil  and  pain, 
Where  joys  eternal  swell  the  pious  heart, 
And  worth  like  thine  shall  meet  its  just  desert, 
Where  thou,  dear  saint,  art  flown,  by  Jesus  lov'd, 
By  angels  welcom'd  and  by  God  approv'd.' 

*  Erected  in  memory  of  Rev.  ELIJAH  PARISH,  who  was  ordained  Pastor  of  the  con- 
gregation in  this  place  Dec.  20,  1787  and  who  died  Oct.  15,  1825  aged  63  years.  Also 
in  memory  of  Mrs.  Mary  Parish,  who  died  May  20th  1831  aged  64  years. 

' '  Saved  by  grace,'  they  rest  from  their  labors  and  their  works  do  follow  them.' 

In  addition  to  what  has  already  been  said  concerning  MR.  PLANT,  I 
make  a  few  extracts  from  the  reverend  doctor  Morss's  century  sermons, 
and  from  Mr.  Plant's  private  journal,  which  have  not  hitherto  been 
published. 

'  Mr.  Plant  at  the  commencement  of  his  duty  Nov.  1722  drew  up 
articles  to  be  a  standing  order,  by  which  the  Parishioners  shall  proceed 
for  the  good  Regulating  and  ordering  of  the  Affairs  of  the  Church  for 
future  and  that  nothing  should  be  allowed  or  added  to  them  without 
the  consent  of  the  Minister.'  *  This  was  signed  by  eighteen  persons, 
who  the  doctor  supposes  '  must  have  enjoyed  advantages  of  early  edu- 
cation, and  to  have  been  above  the  common  class  of  free  holders,  be- 
cause their  names  are  in  their  own  hand  writing,  and  are  all  written  in 
a  fair  and  legible  hand,'  an  inference  altogether  erroneous,  and  which 
a  more  extended  acquaintance  with  the  chirography  of  that  period 
would  not  have  induced  him  to  make. 

1  Mr.  Plant  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  of  a  high 

*  Dr.  Morss's  century  sermons. 


CONCLUSION. 

sense  of  decorum,  and  of  the  distinctive  rights  of  the  Clergy  and 
Laity.     He  was  exact  and  methodical ;  punctual  in  the  discharge  oT 
the  duties  of  his  station ;  and  anxious  that   Clergy  and  Laity  should 
move  in  their  distinct  sphere  without  interference.'* 

During  the  period  of  the  difficulties  that  had  arisen  between  Mr. 
Plant  and  the  proprietors  of  St.  Paul's  church,  some  one  of  them  had 
written  to  the  society  in  England  complaining  that  his  habit  was  not 
canonical.  To  this  complaint  he  makes  a  reply  to  doctor  Bearcroft, 
June  twenty -fifth,  1742,  from  which  I  extract 'the  following. 

'  You  inform  me  of  a  complaint  made  against  me  that  I  even  officiate  in  the  Church 
with  a  coloured  handkerchief  round  my  neck  instead  of  a  hand.  Moreover  you  say  it 
was  with  some  difficulty  that  you  prevented  the  complaint  from  being  laid  before  the 
society.  .  .  .  It  is  a  little  surprizing  that  the  author  of  it  should  stoop  so  low.  or 
at  least  be  so  malicious  as  to  notice  my  habit  without  first  giving  me  notice  that  it 

was  offensive  to  him I  never  once  in  my  whole  time  of  preaching  here, 

went  to  Church  to  officiate  without  a  band,  nor  do  I  remember  the  time  when  I  ever 
wore  a  speckled  handkerchief,  nor  any  other  about  my  neck  in  time  of  divine  service, 
nay  I  never  buried  an  infant  in  the  most  tempestuous  weather  without  a  band,  though 
I  have  rode  several  miles  to  perform  it.'  In  another  letter  to  the  same  person,  alluding 
to  other  difficulties,  he  thus  writes,  'Mr.  Mossom  of  Marblehead  says  there  are  but 
three  old  England  clergymen  in  these  parts  viz.  Mr.  Harris,  myself  and  you  (viz.  Mr. 
Plant)  and  these  fellows  t  are  goin?  home  for  orders  and  they  will  get  the  best  places 
in  the  country  and  take  the  bread  from  off  our  trenchers.  There  is  the  new  church  in 
Boston.  Of  right  it  first  belongs  to  Mr.  Harris.  If  he  refuses,  to  myself,  and  next  to 
you,  but  they  make  no  offer  of  it  to  any  of  us,  and  we  that  have  served  the  church 
must  serve  the  church  as  we  have,  and  take  up  \\-ith  their  leavings.  We  now  who 
have  stood  the  brunt  of  the  battle  and  laid  the  foundation  of  the  churches  in  this  coun- 
try are  not  so  much  as  consulted,  who  shall  be  their  minister.  Mr.  Harris  is  resolved 
to  write  to  my  Lord  Bishop  to  oppose  their  ordination,  and  I'll  join  with  him  and  am 
come  up  to  acquaint  you  with  it  and  we  would  have  you  join  with  us  for  a  three-fold 
cord  is  not  easily  broken.  I  answered  him,  I  do  not  know  whether  I  may  be  permit- 
ted to  say  as  Moses  once  said  'I  wish  to  God  they  were  all  the  Lord's  people,  but  I 
think  we  are  right,  and  therefore  I '11  say  that  were  all  church  ministers  and  church 

Cple  in  these  conditions,  I  would  cheerfully  resign  up  my  salary  and  dig  for  my 
ad.     Had   Mr.  Mossom  sent  these  zealous  expressions  to  the  Society  I  suppose  the 
venerable  members  would  not  from  thence  draw  the  conclusion  that  I  was  willing  to 
resign  my  £60  a  year  to  Dr.  Cutler  and  take  up  digging  and  hoeing  6  days  for  my 
bread,  and  preach  on  the  seventh  day  for  nothing.' 

1  Notwithstanding  all  the  contempt  showed  me  by  the  water-side  people,  and  the 
slight  and  so  forth,  I  have  had  honor  done  me  by  the  leading  gentlemen  in  these 
parts.  His  Excellency  Gov.  Shute  did  me  the  honour  to  come  to  my  church  and 
carry  me  with  him  in  his  coach.  His  Honour  Gov.  Wentworth  frequently  attended 
the  Holy  Communion.  His  Excellency  Gov.  Burnet  the  first  time  I  had  the  honour 
to  wait  on  him,  told  me  he  intended  to  be  at  my  church  at  such  a  day.  and  said  can 
you  any  where  thereabout  lodge  me  and  provide  hay  for  my  horses,  I  told  him  I  did 
not  know  of  any  person  near  my  church  that  could  entertain  better  than  myself.  His 
Excellency  Gov.  Belcher  generously  offered  me  the  honour  of  nominating  two  persons 
in  my  church  one  for  a  justice,  the  other  for  a  coroner.  And  in  the  time  of  his  gov- 
ernment there  was  application  made  by  some  gentlemen  to  him  for  his  interest  to  get 
an  act  passed  in  their  behalf,  they  knowing  it  would  meet  with  great  difficulty,  it  being 
thrice  attempted  and  as  often  rejected,  he  promised  them  his  interest,  but  withal 
recommended  it  to  them  to  apply  to  some  person,  who  had  a  prevailing  interest  in  that 
government.  They  asked  his  Excellency  to  recommend  them  to  such  a  person  :  he 
replyed,  if  you  can  make  Mr.  Plant  your  friend,  he  will  get  the  act  passed  for  you,  for 
Mi.  Plant  has  the  best  interest  of  any  person  I  know  of  in  the  Government.  The 

General  Assembly  did  me  the  honour  to  pass  it  at  my  representation If 

I  would  relate  the  whole  of  this  affair,  I  believe,  Rev.  Sir,  you  would  allow  it  a  great 

honour  done  me Likewise  at  all  times  of  performing  divine  service  at 

Kittevy,  I  had  a  large  audience,  and  gentlemen  of  Portsmouth  did  me  the  honour  to 
attend  there The  people  of  Kittery  refused  to  admit  Mr.  Brown  into. 

*  Dr.  Morss's  century  sermons. 

t  This  alludes  to  a  consultation  which  had  been  held  on  the  subject  of  sending  over  candidates  for 
orders,  one  of  whom  probably  was  intended  to  officiate  in  St.  Paul's  church. 


382  CONCLUSION. 

their  church,  before  they  had  took  my  advice  and  asked  my  consent T» 

conclude  boasting,  the  last  time  I  xvas  at  Portsmouth,  I  waited  on  the  Governor  and 

some  leading  gentlemen  about  an  affair,  that  is  too  long  to  relate I  took 

my  leave  of  the  Governor,  upon  which  he  said  to  me,  Mr.  Planf,  you  will  stay  and 
dine  with  me.  I  excused  myself — but  says  his  Excellency  it  shall  never  be  said  you 
came  to  Piscataqua  and  not  dine  with  me.  If  these  things  will  not  satisfy  you  that 
I  have  both  honour  and  friendship  with  these  gentlemen  I  must  conclude  myself  to 
fail.  I  can't  conclude  this  long  letter  without  adding  one  remarkable  instance  of  my 
hearty  affection  and  zeal,  shewed  in  a  publick  manner  for  the  honour  of  the  church. 
It  happened  to  be  at  the  house  of  Gov.  Belcher  on  one  of  the  princesses'  birth  days. 
Several  gentlemen  being  present  were  invited  to  dine  with  the  Governor.  His  Excel- 
lency says  to  Capt.  Atkins:  '  When  did  you  see  my  mother  Partridge  ?  How  does  she 
do1?'  Capt.  A.  replyed  'I  saw  her  on  Sunday  in  the  afternoon  at  Mr.  Lowell's  meet- 
ing.' Says  the  Gov.  you  call  outs  the  meeting,  and  yours  the  church,  but  you  should  call 
ours  the  church  and  yours  the  meeting.  He  added  when  I  was  in  England  I  waited  on 
Viscount  Townsend  and  talking  on  the  state  of  the  church  in  New  England,  said  his 
Lordship,  I  suppose  you  call  the  church  people  dissenters  there,  and  yours  the  church, 
as  we  here  call  ours  the  church,  and  you  the  dissenters,  so  that  we  are  the  church  and 
you  are  the  dissenters  says"  the  Governor.  Dr.  Harwood  the  assistant  at  the  King's 
chapel,  being  my  senior,  I  wnited  to  see  what  answer  he  would  return  to  his  Excel- 
lency's speech  (resolving  it  should  not  want  an  answer)  every  person  present  being 
silent,  and  Mr.  Harwood  and  Esqr.  Atkins,  the  only  two  persons  of  the  church  being 
seemingly  thunderstruck.  I  thus  addressed  myself  to  the  Governor.  May  it  please 
your  Excellency,  I  do  not  know  what  my  Lord  Townsend  rrny  say  to  you  in  his 
chamber,  nor  what  his  opinion  was  in  his  study,  but  if  he  expressed  himself  in  these 
terms  to  your  Excellency,  his  opinion  was  in  direct  opposition  to  the  Lords  Justices, 
who  in  their  letter  to  Lt.  Gov.  Dummer  ordered  their  Secretary  to  inform  him  that 
they  had  no  regular  establishment  of  any  church  in  this  Province;  neither  have  you 
said  I,  to  the  Governor  any  other  establishment,  but  what  is  on  the  same  footing  with 
other  sectaries,  viz.  the  act  of  toleration.  I  went  on  very  warmly  for 2  or  3  minutes, 
but  the  Governor  put  a  stop  to  me,  Mr.  Plant,  I'll  not  dispute  the  matter  with  your 
'nor  I  with  your  Excellency.'  When  Mr.  Harwood  and  myself  returned  from  the 
Gov's.  house,  I  asked  him  whether  he  took  notice  of  the  affront  he  attempted  to  put 
upon  two  Clergymen  in  their  habit.  He  said  'yes.'  I  asked  him  why  he  did  not  give 
the  Gov.  an  answer?  He  said  to  me,  I  do  not  give  myself  any  trouble  about  these 
things;  the  Gov.  is  kind  to  me  and  I  dine  with  him  two  or  three  times  a  week  and 
when  I  want  a  good  dinner  T  always  go  there.  I  am  always  welcome,  and  you  cannot 
help  yourself,  if  they  do  say  so  of  you.  What  signifies  it  for  you  to  show  your  resent- 
ment. They  do  not  in  England  mind  us  that  are  here.  I  then  said  to  Mr.  Harwood  I 
am  sorry  you  are  tyed  so  fast  by  the  teeth  as  not  to  resent  such  a  designed  affront  as 
that  was.  For  my  own  part  I  will  eat  bread  and  cheese  so  long  as  I  live  before  I'll 
sneak  to  the  Gov.  for  a  dinner,  and  at  his  table  hear  myself  called  a  Dissenter,  and  my 
Church  represented  a  Conventicle.' 

Mr.  Plant  concludes  his  letter  thus:  {I  do  most  humbly  and  earnestly  entreat  the 
Right  Rev.  members  ....  to  recommend  it  to  these  gentlemen  .  .  .  to  look 
on  me  as  their  minister  and  treat  me  as  such,  that  thev  would  come  to  pay  me  a  visit 
—  that  every  thing  on  their  part  should  be  buried  in  oblivion  and  I  should  do  the  same 
on  my  part,  to  be  confirmed  by  the  usual  compliment  of  mutually  and  cordially  shak- 
ing of  hands.  If  the  Right  honorable  members  would  be  pleased  to  grant  my  request 
in  some  such  form  of  direction  to  them,  the  matter  wrould  I  think  be  justly  stated  on 
both  sides, and  there  would  be  no  foundation  for  the  gentlemen  to  say  in  a  domineering 
way,  l\Ve  have  got  the  better  of  Plant  at  the  Society,  the  Society  have  ordered  Plant 
to  allow  our  minister  .£20  and  if  we  can  but  jret  the  money  (as  is  a  common  expres- 
sion with  them;  we  do  not  care  what  becomes  of  Plant.'  Such  expressions  must  be 
grating  to  a  generous  mind.  I  entreat  that  what  I  have  written  may  find  favor  and 
not  blame  with  the  Society.  If  they  would  condescend  to  answer  the  request  of  their 
missionary  in  some  such  sort,  it  would  be  satisfactory,  but  if  it  cannot  he  obtained,  be 
pleased  to  send  me  their  directions  and  they  shall  be  cheerfully  and  readily  obeyed  by 
Rev.  Sirs  your  most  obedient 

'MATTHIAS  PLANT/ 

In  another  letter  dated  twenty-third  October,  1747,  he  says  '  I  was 
desired  to  attend  a  meeting  of  trie  church  and  all  the  proprietors.  —  I 
told  them  the  Society  had  allotted  to  me  the  honour  of  being  the  chief 
minister  of  the  whole  parish,  and  of  annually  paying  an  assistant  £20 
sterling,  but  that  I  might  be  the  minister  of  the  whole  parish,  it  would 


CONCLUSION.  383 

be  necessary  they  should  induct  me  into  the  church,  and  desired  the 
church  wardens,  vestry  and  proprietors  to  give  me  induction.  They 
said  there  was  no  occasion  for  it,  and  asked  me  of  what  service  it 
could  be  to  me.  I  told  them  it  gave  me  a  right  to  the  desk  and  pulpit, 
that  none  could  officiate  in  the  church  or  parish.  This  they  refused  to 
give.  .  .  .  How,  says  I,  can  I  be  the  chief  minister  of  the  whole 
parish,  if  I  have  no  privilege  to  act  in  your  parish  or  officiate  in  your 

church  without  asking  your  leave  every  time  I  come.     Capt. said 

they  would  not  allow  me  to  be  their  minister,  or  to  have  any  thing  to 
do  in  their  parish.  They  would  sometimes  give  me  leave  to  preach  in 

their  new  church They  said  they  would  neither  give 

me  nor  any  other  clergyman,  whom  they  might  hereafter  have,  a  pow- 
er to  keep  out  a  minister,  whom  they  should  wish  to  hear.  It  was 
their  own  property,  and  they  would  invite  whom  they  pleased  to  preach. 
.  .  .  .  I  am  not  bound  to  sacrifice  the  good  disci pline  of  the  church, 
which  these  gentlemen  are  endeavouring  to  wrest  from  me.  .  .  . 
This  usurpation  would  soon  diffuse  itself  into  an  universal  precedent 
in  the  churches  to  their  told  ruin.'  During  the  continuance  of  this  dis- 
pute Mr.  Plant  notices  in  many  places  the  smallness  of  the  audiences 
in  St.  Paul's  church.  Thus:  June  twenty-second,  1746,  preached  at 
St.  Paul's  church  and  had  only  ten  men  'belonging  to  the  church 
there.  July  26  A.  M.  9  men,  P.  M.  10  men.  12  Oct.  had  7  men  and 
one  woman.  17  Nov.  1745,  A.  M.  10  men  and  2  women.  P.  M  13  men 
and  2  women.'  He  thus  speaks  of  the  treatment  he  received  from 
some  of  his  opponents.  '  If  they  met  me  in  the  street,  or  saw  me 
nigh  to  them,  some  of  them  would  turn  their  backs,  or  glower  with 
their  eyes  from  under  their  hats,  or  give  it  a  little  nugg  with  their 
hands  and  sneeringly  walk  off.'  9 

These  extracts  from  Mr.  Plant's  journal,  which  I  copied  from  the 
original,  and  of  which  many  more  pages  might  be  given,  are  strikingly 
characteristic  of  the  state  of  society  at  that  period,  and  of  the  great 
importance  attached  to  an  acquaintance  with  the  rich,  the  tilled,  and 
the  great.  To  shake  hands  with  a  'squire,  or  to  be  familiar  with  a 
judge,  was  an  honor  never  to  be  forgotten,  but  to  dine  with  a  governor, 
was  a  distinction  confined  to  a  favored  few,  and  worthy  of  perpetual 
remembrance.  Burns  in  one  of  his  poems  gives  us  some  idea  of  his 
feelings  of  exaltation  when 

'  On  a  ne'er  to  be  forgotten  day, 
So  far  he  sprackled  up  the  brae,* 
He  dinner'd  with  a  Lord ! ' 

It  was  not  until  five  years  after  the  date  of  this  letter,  which  very 
clearly  explains  the  subject  of  contest  between'  Mr,  Plant  and  the 
proprietors,  that  the  difficulties  were  settled  by  their  acceding  to  Mr. 
Plant's  demands.  On  June  twenty-fourth,  1751,  Mr.  Plant  became  the 
chief  minister  of  the  whole  parish,  and  on  December  twenty-third, 
1751,  he  made  choice  of  Mr.  Edward  Bass  as  his  assistant,  allowing 
him  twenty  pounds  per  annum.  In  1752  Mr.  Bass  went  to  England 
for  orders,  and  took  with  him  a  letter  signed  F.  Miller,  from  which  I 
extract  the  following. 

c  REV.  SIR.  —  The  bearer,  Mr.  Bass  is  a  young  gentleman,  bred  at  Harvard  College, 
and  has  preached  for  some  time  among  the  dissenters  to  good  acceptance,  but  now, 

*  Clambered  up  a  hill. 


384  CONCLUSION. 

upon  mature  consideration,  thinks  it  his  duty  to  conform  to  the  church  of  England, 
and  come  over  for  holy  orders,  and  to  be  appointed  to  the  new  church  in  Newbury. 
Both  Mr.  Plant  and  the  people  are  highly  pleased  with  him,  and  indeed  he  is  univer- 
sally spoken  of  as  a  man  of  piety  and  sense,  a  good  preacher  and  of  an  agreeable 
temper.  He  brings  full  testimonials  from  the  college,  where  he  has  lived,  I  think  about 
ten  years,  which  are  confirmed  by  the  clergy  of  Boston  &c.  A  person  so  qualified 
and  recommended  can  never  want  your  favor  and  assistance,'  &c. 

On  the  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of  bishop  BASS,  is  a 
Latin  inscription,  of  which  the  following  is  a  translation,  copied  from  a 
note  in  a  sermon,  preached  by  the  reverend  James  Morss  in  181 1. 

'  Beneath  this  stone  are  interred  the  remains  of  the  Right  Rev.  Edward  Bass  D.  D. 
Bishop  of  Mass,  and  R.  I.  He  was  born  at  Dorchester  near  Boston  23  Nov.  172G,  was 
admitted  member  of  Harvard  College,  aged  13,  received  the  honors  of  the  University 
1744,  and  was  soon  after  inducted  to  the  pastoral  care  of  St.  PauPs  Church  in  this 
town,  of  which  he  was  rector  51  years,  during  which  time  he  always  supported  an 
unspotted  character  and  discharged  the  duties  of  his  office  with  uncommon  fidelity 
and  exactness.  He  was  a  man  of  distinguished  virtue,  uncommon  humility,  great 
modesty  and  sincere  piety  and  was  firmly  attached  to  the  cause  of  religion.  He  was 
remarkable  for  his  urbanity  and  placidncss  of  disposition  and  for  his  venerable  and 
•dignified  manner.  He  thus  became  the  tender  husband,  the  instructive  and  agreeable 
companion,  the  warm  and  lasting  friend,  the  true  and  faithful  monitor.  He  united  the 
character  of  a  sound  divine,  an  erudite  scholar,  a  polished  gentleman  and  devout  Chris- 
tian. The  tears  of  an  affectionate  people  bear  the  best  testimony  to  his  superior 
virtue,  and  upon  their  hearts  is  his  memory  more  durably  engraved  than  upon  the 
hardest  marble. 

'  The  just  rest  from  their  labors  and  their  works  follow  them.1 

The  following  inscription  is  engraved  on  the  monument  erected  in 
memory  of  the  reverend  JAMES  MORSS. 

'  Erected  in  memory  of  the  Rev.  James  Morss  TV  D.,  who  for  39  years  was  the  he- 
loved  rector  of  St  Paul's  Church.  He  was  born  in  Newburyport  25  Oct.  1779,  grad- 
uated at  Harvard  College  1800,  was  chosen  rector  of  this  church  in  1803  and  remained 
\vith  his  attached  people  until  his  decease.  whi"h  Took  place  Apr.  26,  1842. 

'  Mr,  Morss  was  a  sound  divine,  and  to  his  devotion  to  the  church  was  added  a  zeal 
for  her  interests,  and  a  moral  courage  in  her  defence  never  excelled.  In  his  deportment 
were"  blended  the  courtesies  of  the  gentleman  with  the  graces  of  the  Christian.  He 
•was  distinguished  in  all  the  sweet  charities  of  social  life,  the  tender  father,  the  faithful 
friend,  yet  none  shone  more  prominent  than  his  kindly  care  for  the  widow  and  orphan. 
Their  tears  embalm  his  memory,  and  the  prayers  of  an  affectionate  people  rise  as 
incense  to  the  throne  of  grace. 

'  This  is  his  record  on  high.' 

The  society,  of  which  the  reverend  JONATHAN  PARSONS  was  the 
first  pastor,  had  its  origin  iii  the  time  of  the  great  excitement,  pro- 
duced by  the  labors  of  Edwards,  Whitefield,  and  others,  one  of  whom 
was  the  reverend  Joseph  Adams,  who  preached  to  the  new  society, 
consisting  at  first  of  only  twelve  families,  until  by  the  advice  and 
recommendation  of  Whitefield,  Mr.  Parsons  was  called  from  Lyme, 
Connecticut,  (where  he  had  been  settled  as  a  minister,  from  March, 
]73L,  till  October,  1745,)  to  take  charge  of  the  new  society.  In 
November  of  the  same  year,  he  came  to  Newbury,  and  took  the 
charge  of  the  congregation  in  March,  1746.  In  his  journal  he  thus 
writes :  '  I  found  a  number  of  serious  Christians  in  the  congregation, 
which  I  came  to  visit,  who  appeared  to  be  understanding,  solid,  and  in 
some  measure  established  in  the  main  points  of  Christian  doctrine. 
But  many  others  appeared  of  an  Antinomian  turn,  full  of  vain  confi- 
dence, self-conceit,  false  affections  &c.,  and  some  that  were  the  great- 


CONCLUSION.  385 

est    Christians   in   their   own   esteem,   appeared   to   be  worldly  and 
covetous.' 

In  this  church  and  congregation,  which  from  small  beginnings  arose 
to  be  one  of  the  most  numerous  on  the  continent,  Mr.  Parsons  labored 
with  great  diligence  and  success  until  his  death  in  1776,  when  he  was 
buried  by  the  side  of  his  friend  Mr.  Whitefield,  beneath  the  pulpit 
which  he  had  for  so  many  years  occupied.  From  Mr.  Searl's  funeral 
sermon  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Parsons,  I  make  the  following  extract 

*  He  was  a  faithful  and  vigilant  pastor;  applying  himself  with  great  care  to  the 
wants  of  his  people,  both  in  public  and  in  private.  The  success  attending  his  ministry 
was  great.  During  his  residence  at  Lyme,  h«  entertained  charitable  hopes  that 
near  200  persons  were  savingly  converted  :  and  in  Newburyport  also,  he  had  the  satis- 
faction of  seeing  large  accessions  made  to  the  church  through  his  instrumentality.' 

The  reverend  JOHN  MURRAY,  the  successor  of  Mr.  Parsons,  com- 
menced preaching  in  his  native  country,  Ireland,  at  the  age  of  eighteen. 
Before  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  he  came  to  America,  was  first 
settled  in  Philadelphia,  then  in  Boothbay,  Me.,  where  he  remained 
eight  years.  In  1779,  he  came  to  Newbnryport,  where,  at  a  public 
lecture  January  fourth,  1781,  he  was  '  recognized  by  the  presbyterian 
church  and  congregation  to  be  their  minister.'  On  the  monument 
erected  to  his  memory,  is  the  following  inscription  : 

'  This  monument  is  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  reverend  John  Murray.  A.  M.,  late 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Society  in  this  town,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  22  May,  1742, 
and  died  13  March,  1793. 

'Pause  reader  l.and  silently  muse  over  the  remains  of  a  man,  in  whom  were  united 
the  tender  husband,  the  faithful  father,  the  instructive  companion,  the  obliging  friend, 
the  animated  preacher,  and  the  able  defender  of  the  gospel.  His  death  was  triumphant.' 

The  inscription  on  the  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of  Mr. 
WILLIAMS,  is  the  following : 

'The  Rev.  Samuel  P.  Williams  was  born  in  Wethersfield  Conn.  22  Feb.  1779,  gradu- 
ated at  Yale  College  1796,  ordained  in  Marsfield,  Conn.  1  Jan.  1807,  removed  from 
Marsfield  7  Sept.  1817.  installed  8  Feb.  1821  and  died  23  Dec.  1826.  His  ancestors  were 
the  people  of  God.  He  was  a  preacher  of  the  gospel.  Let  his  hearers,  if  they  would 
honor  him,  obey  that  gospel. 

'  And  if  in  life  he  tried  in  vain  to  save, 

O  let  them  hear  him  preaching  from  the  grave.' 

Epitaph  in  memory  of  reverend  CHRISTOPHER  B.  MARSH. 

'  Beneath  are  the  remains  of  the  Rev.  Christopher  B.  Marsh  the  only  son  of  Deac. 
Daniel  Marsh  of  Boston  and  the  much  beloved  and  lamented  Pastor  of  the  North 
Church  in  this  town.  He  exchanged  this  mortal  for  an  endless  life  Dec.  3,  1773,  aged 
30  years  and  2  months,  having  little  more  than  completed  the  fifth  year  of  his  ministry. 
He  was  a  hard  student,  a  good  scholar,  a  great  Christian,  a  deep,  yet  plain  and  pungent 
preacher,  a  meek,  humble  and  prudent  Pastor.  His  whole  life  blameless  and  exemplary, 
his  ministry,  tho'  short,  was  important  conveying  much  instruction  and  bearing  a 
noble  testimony  to  the  great  doctrines  of  God's  grace.  His  grateful  flock  to  shew  their 
respect  to  his  memory,  erect  this  monument. 

'The  Reverend  man,  let  all  things  mourn;     • 
Sure  he  was  some  atherial  mind, 
Fated  in  flesh  to  be  confined, 
And  ordered  to  be  born, 
His  soul  was  of  the  angelic  frame  ; 
The  same  ingredients,  and  the  mould  the  same 
When  the  Creator  makes  a  minister  of  flame. 
He  was  all  formed  of  heavenly  things, 
Mortals,  believe  what  my  Urania  sings, 
For  she  hath  seen  him  rise  upon  his  flamy  wings.' 

49 


386  CONCLUSION. 

Epitaph  in  memory  of  the  reverend  SAMUEL  SPRING,  D.  D. 

'  In  memory  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Spring,  born  at  Uxbridge  27  Feb.  1746,  graduated  at 
Nassau  1771,  ordained  Pastor  of  the  North  Church,  6  Aug.  1777,  and  died  4  March, 
18J9,  in  his  74th  year.  A  man  of  original  and  vigorous  mind,  distinguished  for  a  deep 
sense  of  human  depravity,  specially  for  his  own  un worthiness,  and  for  exalted  views 
of  the  character  and  perfections  of  God  and  the  Redeemer  j  of  great  integrity,  firmness, 
benevolence  and  urbanity;  an  able,  faithful  and  assiduous  Pastor,  an  ensample  to  the 
flock,  over  which  he  was  placed,  an  affectionate  husband,  a  tender  father,  a  sincere 
friend.  He  was  a  Visitor  of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Andover  from  its  commence- 
ment, President  of  the  Mass.  Missionary  Society  Vice  Pres.  of  the  American  Board  of 
Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  and  in  most  of  the  other  important  offices  of  the 
other  benevolent  societies  around  him.  He  lived  eminently  useful  and  died  universally 
lamented.  In  testimony  of  the  grateful  estimation  with  which  the  memory  of  their 
Pastor  is  cherished,  this  monument  is  erected  by  the  bereaved  and  afflicted  church 
and  congregation. 

'  The  righteous  shall  be  held  in  everlasting'remembrance.' 

On  the  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  reverend  JOHN 
BODDILY,  is  the  following  inscription : 

'  The  Rev.  John  Boddily  was  born  in  England,  educated  at  Lady  Huntingdon's 
College  and  came  to  America  1795.  This  church  was  founded  that  year.  He  was  an 
affectionate  evangelical  preacher  of  the  gospel.  He  died  4  Nov.  1802,  aged  47  years.' 

On  that  to  the  memory  of  the  reverend  JOHN  GILES,  is  the  following  : 

'  Here  lies  interred  the  remains  of  the  Rev.  John  Giles  for  twenty  two  years  Pastor 
of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church  in  this  town.  He  died  28  Sept.  1822  aged  66.' 

On  the  marble  pyramid  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  reverend 
CHARLES  W  MILTON,  is  the  following  : 

'  This  monument  is  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  Rev.  Charles  William  Milton, 
born  in  London  29  Nov.  1767,  educated  for  the  gospel  ministry  by  Lady  Huntingdon, 
he  was  ordained  a  missionary  in  Spa  Field's  Chapel,  London  17  Feb.  17S8.  commenced 
the  wrork  of  the  ministry  in  the  British  Provinces  in  America,  invited  to  this  town  by 
the  Rev.  John  Murray,  he  accepted  the  invitation  to  become  the  Pastor  of  a  new  church, 
called  the  fourth  church  and  religious  Society  and  was  installed  20  March,  1791.  As  a 
man  he  was  upright,  independent  and  philanthropic ;  As  a  friend  (though  his  intimacies 
were  few)  warm-hearted  and  faithful ;  As  a  Christian,  zealous  and  stable  ;  for  personal 
piety  eminent.  His  religion  was  in  the  heart  rather  than  on  the  lip  ;  As  a  minister  of 
the  New  Testament,  he  was  earnest,  decided  and  evangelical;  a  scribe  instructed  unto 
the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  In  his  style  and  manner  truly  unique.  No  man  was  his 
model.  In  the  fervour  and  eloquence  of  public  prayer  unsurpassed,  if  not  unequalled. 
Forty  three  years  he  preached  the  gospel  of  Christ  to  his  people  with  a  fidelity  and 
success  preeminently  signal  and  suddenly  passed  into  glory  May  1,  1S37  aged  70. 
Many  at  the  last  day  shall  rise  up  and  call  him  blessed.' 

To  these  epitaphs,  which  I  have  inserted  by  particular  request,  I 
shall  add  only  the  following  inscription,  which  is  on  the  monument 
erected  in  the  Federal  Street  church  -to  the  memory  of  the  reverend 
GEORGE  WHITEFIELD,  by  the  munificence  of  the  late  William  Bartlet, 
esquire. 

'  This  Cenotoph  is  erected  with  affectionate  veneration  to  the  memory  of  the  Rev. 
George  Whitefield,  born  at  Gloucestershire  Dec.  16, 1714,  educated  at  Oxford  Univer- 
sity, ordained  1736.  In  a  ministry  of  34  years  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  13  times,  and 
preached  more  than  18000  sermons.  As  a  soldier  of  the  cross,  humble,  devout,  ardent, 
he  put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God,  preferring  the  honor  of  Christ  to  his  own  interest, 
repose,  reputation  and  life.  As  a  Christian  orator,  his  deep  piety,  disinterested  zeal 
and  vivid  imagination  gave  unexampled  energy  to  his  look,  utterance  and  action.  Bold, 
ardent,  pungent  and  popular  in  his  eloquence,  no  other  uninspired  man  ever  preached 


CONCLUSION.  387 

to  so  large  assemblies,  or  enforced  the  simple  truths  of  the  gospel  by  motives,  so  per- 
suasive and  awful,  and  with  an  influence  so  powerful  on  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.  He 
died  of  Asthma,  September  30, 1770,  suddenly  exchanging  his  life  of  unparalleled  labors 
for  his  eternal  rest.' 

Having  thus  disposed  of  the  deceased  clergy,  I  shall  now  occupy  a 
few  pages  with  brief  notices  of  the  laity,  in  addition  to  what  may  be 
found  in  the  genealogy,  which  will  be  givren  alphabetically. 

ROBERT  ADAMS  resided  within  a  few  rods  of  the  spot  where  his  de- 
scendants, colonel  Daniel  Adams  and  Robert  Adams,  now  live.  The 
posterity  of  Robert  Adams  are  numerous.  On  the  grave  stone  erected 
to  his  memory  in  the  Byfield  burying  ground,  there  is  a  mistake ;  one 
generation  having  been  omitted,  thus  making  Abraham  Adams  the  son 
of  his  grandfather  Robert,  instead  of  his  father  Abraham. 

JOHN  ATKINSON,  hatter,  resided  where  captain  Stephen  Little  now 
resides. 

Reverend  STEPHEN  BACHILER  resided  for  a  short  time  in  Newbnry. 
A  particular  account  of  him  may  be  found  in  Lewis's  History  of  Lynn. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  he  came  to  America  in  1632,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
one,  went  to  Lynn,  thence  to  Ipswich  in  1636,  thence  to  Yarmouth  in 
1637,  thence  to  Newbury  in  1638,  thence  to  Hampton  in  1639.  From 
1647  to  16-50  he  was  in  Portsmouth.  In  the  latter  year  he  married  his 
third  wife  Mary.  He  was  then  nearly  ninety  years  of  age.  In  the 
same  year,  the  court,  in  consequence  of  a  matrimonial  difficulty,  ordered 
that '  Mr.  Bachiler  and  his  wife  shall  lyve  together  as  man  and  wife,  as 
in  this  Court  they  have  publiquely  professed  to  doe,  and  if  either 
desert  one  another,  then  hereby  the  Court  doth  order  that  ye  Marshall 
shall  apprehend  both  ye  said  "Mr.  Bachiler  and  Mary  his  wife  and 
bring  them  forthwith  to  Boston,'  and  so  forth.  In  October,  1656,  his 
wife  Mary  petitioned  the  Court  for  a  divorce,  stating  that  '  Mr. 
Bachiler  upon  some  pretended  ends  of  his  owne  hath  transported  him- 
selfe  unto  ould  England  and  betaken  himselfe  to  another  wife,'  and  so 
forth.  At  the  time  of  Mr.  Bachiler's  running  away  and  taking  a 
fourth  wife,  he  was  in  the  ninety-sixth  year  of  his  age !  Quite  a 
sprightly  specimen  of  clerical  gallantly,  and  certainly  unique.  He 
died  at  Hackney,  England,  aged  about  one  hundred.  Prince  says  of 
him,  '  he  was  a  man  of  fame  in  his  day,  a  gentleman  of  learning  and 
ingenuity,  and  wrote  a  fine  and  curious  hand.'  His  posterity  are  very 
numerous  in  New  Hampshire. 

JOHN  BAILEY  came  to  New  England  in  a  ship  called  the  '  Angel 
Gabriel,'  which  was  cast  away  in  the  terrible  storm  of  August  1635,  at 
Pemaquid.  He  was  so  frightened  by  the  dangers  he  had  encountered, 
that  he  never  again  dared  to  cross  the  Atlantic.  As  his  wife  was 
equally  unwilling  to  come  to  New  England,  they  never  met.  He 
brought  his  son  John  with  him.  In  his  will  he  says,  '  son  John  is  to 
pay  his  mother  £6,  provided  she  come  over,  son  Robert  £15  and 
daughters  £10  apiece  if  they  come  over,  and  £5  apiece,  if  they  do  not.' 

The  BARTLET  families,  three  in  all,  settled  on  and  about  the  place 
called  Bartlet's  cove,  in  Newbury,  opposite  Amesbury  ferry,,  where 


389  CONCLUSION. 

some  of  his  descendants  of  the  same  name  still  remain,  and  engaged 
in  the  same  occupation,  and  perhaps  on  the  same  spot  that  John 
Bartlet,  '  the  tanner,'  occupied  nearly  two  centuries  ago.  The  name 
is  an  ancient  one,  and  may  be  found  in  various  ancient  records.  Adam 
de  Barttlot,  went  to  England  with  William  the  conqueror,  in  1066,  and 
settled  at  Stapham  in  Sussex,  where  the  elder  branch  of  the  family 
still  resides.  In  1280  the  name  was  spelled  Bartelot,  afterward  Bar- 
tholot,  Bartolot,  Bartelet,  Bartlett,  and  Bartlet.  In  John  Fox's  Book 
of  Martyrs,  printed  in  1610,  1  find  Richard,  Robert,  Sarah  and  Isabel- 
la Bartlet,  protestant  martyrs,  persecuted  by  John  Longland,  popish 
bishop  of  the  diocese  of  Lincoln  in  the  year  1521. 

HENRY  BODWELL,  who  married  Bethia  Emery,  was  one  of  the  few 
survivors  of  the  company  under  captain  Thomas  Lathrop,  who  were 
slain  at  the  disastrous  battle  of  Muddy  Brook,  September  eighteenth, 
1675,  now  most  appropriately  styled  Bloody  Brook.  An  account  of 
this  battle,  or  rather  massacre,  should  have  been  given  on  page  117, 
but  was  omitted  for  want  of  some  information,  which,  having  been 
since  obtained,  will  be  here  inserted,  compiled  from  the  honorable  Ed- 
ward Everett's  elegant  address,  delivered  September  thirtieth,  1835, 
at  Bloody  Brook,  in  South  Deerfield,  in  commemoration  of  the  fall  of 
the  '  flower  of  Essex '  at  that  spot  in  king  Philip's  war,  September 
eighteenth,  1675,  and  from  Mr.  Robert  Adams's  manuscript  history  of 
Newbury,  and  a  document  copied  from  the  original  on  file  in  the  state 
house,  in  Boston,  and  written  by  the  reverend  John  Russell,  of  Hadley. 
Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  history  of  Philip's  war,  will  recollect 
that  Philip  was  at  this  time  on  Connecticut  river.  It  therefore  became 
necessary  for  the  English  to  establish  a  formidable  opposing  force,  in 
some  convenient  position.  As  Hadley  was  selected,  an  increased  sup- 
ply of  provisions  in  that  place  was  necessary.  '  A  considerable  quan- 
tity of  wheat  being  preserved  in  stacks  at  'Deerfield,  it  was  deemed 
expedient  to  have  it  threshed  and  brought  down  to  Hadley.  Captain 
Lathrop  and  his  company  volunteered  to  proceed  to  Deerfield  and  pro- 
tect the  convoy.  This  company  consisted  of  '  the  flower  of  the  popu- 
lation of  Essex  —  her  hopeful  young  men  — all  culled  out  of  the  towns 
belonging  to  that  county.'  Of  the  twenty-three  men  impressed  from 
Newbury  on  the  fifth,  sixth,  and  twenty-seventh  of  August  to  go  against 
the  Indian  enemy,  Henry  Bod  well  and  John  Toppan  were  two,  and  it 
is  not  unlikely  that  the  remaining  twenty-one  were  a  part  of  captain 
Lathrop's  company,  which  consisted  in  all  of  eighty  men.  The  whole 
company  arrived  safely  at  Deerfield,  threshed  the  wheat,  placed  it  in 
eighteen  wagons,  and  while  on  their  return  through  South  Deerfield, 
as  they  were  stopping  to  gather  grapes,  which  hung  in  clusters  in  the 
forest  that  lined  the  narrow  road,  they  were  surprised  by  an  ambuscade 
of  Indians,  outnumbering  captain  Lathrop's  company  ten  to  one,  who 
poured  upon  them  a  murderous  fire.  Hubbard  states  that  not  above 
seven  or  eight  .of  captain  Lathrop's  company  escaped.  This  is  prob- 
ably near  the  truth,  as  the  reverend  John  Russell  states  that  seventy- 
one  men  were  slain  at  Muddy  Brook  bridge  on  the  eighteenth  of  Sep- 
tember, and  gives  the  names  of  sixty  of  them.  '  From  August  fifth  to 
September  twenty- seventh,  there  were  impressed,'  says  Mr.  Everett, 
'  in  the  single  town  of  Newbury,  thirty  men  and  forty-six  horses ;  facts 
that  show  the  prodigious  severity  of  the  military  service  of  the  colony 


CONCLUSION.  389 

at  that  period,  —  vastly  greater  than  at  any  subsequent  period  in  the 
history  of  the  country.'  To  which  Mr.  Everett  might  have  added,  that 
in  December  of  that  same  year,  twenty-four  additional  men  were  im- 
pressed from  Newbury,  and,  on  the  second  of  the  next  January,  thir- 
teen more,  making  in  all,  with  Richard  Kent's  man,  who  was  impressed 
on  September  twenty-ninth,  sixty-eight  men  and  forty-six  horses,  from 
August  fifth,  1675,  to  January  second,  1676.  The  ratable  polls  at  this 
time  were  only  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine.  Mr.  Samuel  Jaques,  who 
died  June  twenty-fourth,  1824,  aged  ninety-five  years  and  four  months, 
was  well  acquainted  with  three  of  the  soldiers  from  Newbury,  who 
were  in  the  battle  of  September  eighteenth,  or  the  Petaquamscot  fight 
at  Narragansett,  December  nineteenth;  namely,  Jonathan  Emery, 
Samuel  Hills,  and  John  Toppan.  From  them  Mr.  Jaques  ascertained 
the  following  particulars,  which  he  communicated  to  Mr.  Robert  Adams 
in  1817.  Jonathan  Emery  was  wounded,  December  nineteenth,  in  the 
neck  by  an  arrow.  At  the  battle  of  Bloody  Brook,  John  Toppan,  who 
was  wounded  in  the  shoulder,  concealed  himself  in  a  water  course  that 
at  that  time  was  almost  dry,  and  hauled  grass  and  weeds  over  his  head, 
so  that,  though  the  Indians  sometimes  stepped  over  him,  he  was  not 
discovered.  Henry  Bodwell  had  his  left  arm  broken  by  a  musket  ball, 
but,  being  a  man  of  great  strength  and  courage,  he  seized  his  gun  in 
his  right  hand,  and  swung  it  round  his  head,  and  so  forced  his  way 
through  the  Indians,  by  whom  he  was  almost  surrounded.  '  The  ca- 
tastrophe of  the  eighteenth  of  September,  was  the  heaviest,  which 
had  befallen  the  colony.'  '  It  was  a  sadder  rebuke  of  Providence,'  says 
doctor  Increase  Mather,  'than  any  thing  that  hitherto  had  been' — 'a 
black  and  fatal  day  wherein  there  were  eight  persons  made  widows,  and 
twenty  six  children  made  fatherless,  and  about  sixty  persons  buried  in 
one  fatal  grave.'  In  the  course  of  Philip's  war,  which  was  brief,  '  six 
hundred  of  the  inhabitants,  the  greatest  part  of  whom  were  the  flower 
of  the  country,  fell  in  battle,  or  were  murdered.  Twelve  towns  in 
Massachusetts,  Plymouth  and  Rhode  Island  were  utterly  destroyed, 
and  many  more  greatly  injured.  Six  hundred  buildings,  mostly  dwel- 
ling houses,  are  known  to  have  been  burned,  and,  according  to  doctor 
Trumbull's  calculation  one  man  in  eleven  of  the  arms  bearing  popula- 
tion was  killed,  and  one  house  in  eleven  laid  in  ashes.' 

The  following  is  a  copy,  sent  to  the  general  court  by  the  reverend 
John  Russell,  of  Hadley.  It  has  never,  to  my  knowledge,  been  print- 
ed, only  in  part.  Those  belonging  to  Newbury  who  were  killed  under 
captain  Lathrop,  were  serjeant  Thomas  Smith,  Samuel  Stevens,  his 
brother  John  Stevens,  John  Littlehale,  at  that  time  of  Haverhill.  John 
Plummer  was  killed  August  twenty-fifth.  There  were  probably  others 
from  Newbury,  whose  names  are  not  known. 

'  A  list  of  the  men  slain  in  the  County  of  Hampshire  (though  we  cannot  gett  the 
names  of  all,  yet  as  many  as  we  can  gett,)  are  here  inserted.  Also  the  lime  when  and 
place  where  they  were  slain. 

*  1675,  Aug.  2.  John  Eyres,  Richard  Coy,  John  and  Samuel  Pritchard,  Henry  Young, 
Zachary  Phillips,  Sydrach  Harkwood,  Samuel  Smeadley,  Edward  Coburn,  James  Hov- 
€y,  Capt.  Edward  Hutchinson,  13  were  slayn.     At  the  swamp  beyond  Hatfield  ye  25 
August  were  9  men  slayn.     Azariah  Dickinson,  James  Lewis,  Samuel  Mason,  Richard 
Fellows,  John  Plummer,  Mark   Pitman,  Joseph   Pearson,  Matthew  Scales,  William 
Cluffe. 

*  At  Squakeage  ye  4  Sept.  16  men  were  slayn. 

'  Capt.  Richard  Beers,  John  Chenary,  Ephraim  Child,  Benjamin  Crackbone,  Robert 
Pepper,  Joseph  Dickinson,  William  Markham,  George  Lyrass,  John  Gatchell  James 
Miller,  John  Wilson. 


390  CONCLUSION. 

'  Squakeage  ye  2d  of  Sept.  8  men  were  slayn. 

'  Serg.  Samuel  Wright,  Ebenezer  and  Jonathan  Jeans,  Ebenezer  Parsons,  Nathaniel 
Curtis,  Thomas  Scott,  and  John  Peck. 

4  At  Deerfield  2  men  were  slayn.    James  Eaglestone,  Nathaniel  Cranberry. 

'  At  Muddy  Brook  bridge  ye  18th  Sept.  71  men  were  slayn. 

'  Capt.  Thomas  Lathrop,  Ser.  Thomas  Smith,  Samuel  Stevens,  John  Hobbs,  Daniel 
Button,  John  Harriman,  Thomas  Bailey,  Ezekiel  Sawyer,  Jacob  Kilborn,  Thomas 
Manning,  Jacob  Wainwright,  Benjamin  Roper,  John  Bennet,  Thomas  Mentor,  Caleb 
Kimball,  Thomas  Hobbs,  Robert  Homes,  Edward  Trask,  Richard  Lambert,  Josiah 
Dodge,  Peter  Woodbury,  Joseph  Balch,  Samuel  Whittridge,  William  Duy,  Serg.  Samu- 
el Stevens,  Samuel  Crampton,  John  Plum,  Thomas  Buckley,  George  Ropes,  Joseph 
Kirge,  Thomas  Alexander,  Francis  Friend,  Abel  Osyer,  John  Littlehale,  Samuel  Hud- 
son, Adam  Clarke,  Ephraim  Farah,  Robert  Wilson,  Steven  Welman,  Benjamin  Farrell, 
Solomon  Alley,  John  Merritt,  Robert,  Samuel,  Barnabas  and  John  Hinsdall,  Joseph 
Gillett,  John  Allin,  Joshua  Carter,  John  Barnard,  James  Tufts,  Jonathan  Plympton, 
Philip  Barsham,  Thomas  Welles,  William  Smeade,  Zebadiah  Williams,  Eliakim  Mar- 
shall, James  Mudge  and  George  Cole. 

'At  Northampton  2  men  were  slain,  Praiseever  Turner,  and  Uzacaby  Shackspeer. 

'  At  Springfield  Oct.  4,  four  men  and  a  woman  were  slain.  Lieut.  Thomas  Cooper, 
Thomas  Miller,  Nathaniel  Browne,  Edmund  Primrides. 

'  At  Hatfield  Oct.  19  ten  men  were  slain.  Serg.  Freegrace  Norton,  Thomas  Mekins, 
Nathaniel  Collins,  Richard  Stone,  Samuel  Clarke,  John  Pocock,  Thomas  Warner, 
Abraham  Quiddington,  W7i)liam  Olverton,  John  Petts. 

'  At  W7estfield  Oct.  27,  were  three  men  slayn,  William  and  John  Brooks,  and  John 
Dumbleton. 

'  At  Northampton  29  Oct.  were  4  slain  Joseph  Baker  sen.  Joseph  Baker  jun.  Thomas 
Salmon,  and  John  Roberts. 

'  Three  men  of  Capt.  Moseley's,  when  he  went  to  relieve  Capt.  Lathrop,  John  Gates, 
Peter  Barron, 

'  The  whole  number  is  145  persons.  Blow  ye  a  trumpet  in  Zion,  sanctify  a  fast,  call 
a  solemn  assembly,  gather  the  people,  sanctify  the  congregation,  assemble  the  elders, 
gather  the  children  and  those  that  suck  the  breasts.  Let  the  priests,  the  ministers  of 
the  Lord  weep  between  the  porch  and  the  altar,  and  let  them  say  spare  thy  people,  O 
Lord,  and  give  not  thy  heritage  to  reproach  that  the  heathen  should  rule  over  them. 
Wherefore  should  they  say  among  the  people  where  is  thy  God  ?  Then  will  the  Lord 
be  jealous  for  his  land  and  pity  his  people. 

'  REV.  JOHN  RUSSELL.' 

I  am  the  more  inclined  to  publish  the  preceding  account,  as  Mr. 
Everett  observes,  page  twenty-fourth,  that '  with  the  exception  of  Capt. 
Lathrop  himself  I  am  not  aware,  that  we  have  positive  information  as 
to  any  that  fell,  officers  or  men,'  and  in  a  note  at  the  close  of  the  book, 
page  thirty-seventh,  he  says  that  the  contemporary  '  historians  are  si- 
lent as  to  the  names  of  those,  who  fell  with  Lathrop,'  but  observes  that 
'  since  the  foregoing  pages  were  printed  off,  I  have  been  furnished 
with  a  list  of  those,  who  fell  with  Capt.  Lathrop.'  This  list  agrees  in 
substance  with  the  list  in  the  preceding  page,  which  I  copied  from  the 
original  some  fifteen  years  ago.  Each  list  contains  sixty  names,  but  the 
names  of  eleven  persons,  who  were  killed,  are  not  mentioned. 

THOMAS  BROWNE,  weaver,  resided  in  the  vicinity  of  Turkey-hill. 
His  daughter  Mary  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Newbury.  His 
son  Francis  was  ancestor  of  John  Brown,  whose  family  were  carried 
off  by  the  Indians  in  1695,  and  ancestor  of  Mr.  Robert  Brown,  who 
resides  on  the  land  once  owned  by  his  first  ancestor. 

RICHARD  BROWN  resided  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by  captain  Dan- 
iel Lunt,  on  the  corner  of  what  was  once  called  South  street,  but  now 
Parker  street. 

WILLIAM  CHANDLER  resided  near  the  foot  of  what  is  now  Federal 
street,  then  called  Chandler's  lane. 


CONCLUSION.  391 

Doctor  JOHN  CLARK,  the  first  physician  of  Newbury,  tradition  as- 
serts, was  the  first  regularly  educated  physician,  \vho  resided  in  New 
England.  In  Thacher's  Medical  Biography,  it  is  said  that '  he  was 
honored  with  a  diploma  for  his  success  in  cutting  for  the  stone.'  Jn 
1651  he  sold  a  part  of  his  farm,  which  was  originally  four  hundred 
acres,  near  Cart  Creek  to  Matthew  Chaffey  of  Boston,  who  sold  it  to 
Richard  Thorlaye  of  Rowley,  for  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  pounds. 
From  him  descended  all  of  the  name  of  Thorla  or  Thurlow  now  in 
Newbury.  A  likeness  of  doctor  Clark  is  in  possession  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Historical  Society,  from  which  the  lithograph  in  this  volume 
is  taken. 

THOMAS  COLMAN,  resided  in  Byfield,  on  land,  which  is  now  owned 
by  one  of  his  descendants,  colonel  Jeremiah  Colman.  The  family  of 
Colemans  in  Nantucket  are  also  descended  from  Thomas  Colman's 
elder  children,  and  those  in  Newbury  are  descended  from  the  young- 
est son  Tobias,  the  son  of  Margery,  the  third  wife  of  Thomas,  and 
who  was  the  widow  of  Thomas  Roweli  of  Andover.  The  name  was 
originally  Coultman,  that  is,  Coltman,  or  one  who  had  the  care  and 
management  of  horses.  So  say  English  writers. 

TRISTRAM  COFFIN,  junior,  about  1654  erected  the  house,  in  which  the 
compiler  of  this  work  now  resides,  and  which  is  occupied  by  Tristram's 
descendants  of  the  seventh  generation.  Tristram  CofFyn,  senior,  of 
whom  I  have  said  something  on  pages  298  and  9,  is  said  to  have  been 
the  first  person  who  ever  used  a  plough  in  Haverhill,  where  his  name 
is  found  as  a  witness  to  the  Indian  deed  of  that  town,  March  fifteenth, 
1642.  He  always  wrote  his  name  '  CofFyn.'  He  was  a  royalist,  and 
was,  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  the  only  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  New- 
bur}7,  who  came  to  America  in  consequence  of  the  success  of  Oliver 
Cromwell.  From  Prince's  Worthies  of  Devonshire,  I  find  that  '  the 
ancient  family  of  this  name  was  settled  at  Portledge,  by  the  sea-side 
in  the  parish  of  Alwington,  five  miles  from  Biddeford,  and  flourished 
there  from  the  conquest,  and  that  from  the  time  of  King  Henry  first, 
unto  the  age  of  King  Edward  second,  the  space  of  200  years,  the 
heir  of  this  family  was  always  called  Richard.  The  present  repre- 
sentative of  this  most  ancient  family,  is  the  Rev.  John  Pine  Coffin, 
of  Portledge.'  One  of  Tristram  Coffin's  descendants  was  admiral  sir 
Isaac  Coffin,  who  was  born  in  Boston  June  third,  1759,  and  entered 
the  British  navy  as  midshipman  about  the  year  1770.  He  was  the 
founder  of  the  Coffin  school  in  Nantucket,  which  was  designed  for  the 
benefit  of  all  the  descendants  of  Tristram  CofFyn,  senior. 

Captain  JOHN  CUTTING,  tradition  states,  was  a  ship-master,  and 
sailed  from  Boston  and  crossed  the  Atlantic  thirteen  times.  He  was 
a  man  of  a  great  deal  of  humor,  and  many  stories  are  told  to  this  day 
concerning  his  peculiarities,  which  afforded  much  diversion  to  himself 
and  others,  but  which  want  of  room  compels  me  to  omit.  Winthrop 
in  the  year  1637,  mentions  '  Capt  Cutting's  ship  and  a  captive  Pequod, 
whom  the  government  gave  him  to  carry  to  England.' 

RICHARD  DOLE  resided  on  the  same  spot  of  ground,  which  his  de- 
scendants of  the  same  name  now  occupy.  His  ancestors  went  from 
the  town  of  Dole  in  Bretagne,  in  1066,  to  England.  He  probably 


392  CONCLUSION. 

came  from  Bristol,  as  I  find  his  name  signed  in  1639,  to  an  obligation 
written  by  Mr.  John  Lowle,  then  in  Bristol,  and  came  with  the  Lowles 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year  to  Newbury.  He  was  then  but  fif- 
teen years  of  age,  and  was  probably  their  clerk. 

RICHARD  DUMMER  was  one  of  the  fathers  of  Massachusetts,  was 
chosen  a  magistrate,  warmly  espoused  the  cause  of  sir  Henry  Vane, 
was  one  of  the  disarmed  adherents  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  and  '  no  man/ 
says  Eliot,  '  more  deserved  the  praise  of  doing  well.'  He  was  very 
rich  and  equally  benevolent.  He  contributed  greatly  to  the  improve- 
ment and  growth  of  that  part  of  Newbury,  where  he  Jived.  The 
lands,  upon  which  the  academy  is  built,  were  his,  and  were  left  for  the 
support  of  this  institution.  The  house  in  which  he  lived,  stood  a 
few  rods  southeast  of  the  present  mansion  house.  His  son  Jere- 
my Dummer,  was  a  goldsmith,  resided  in  Boston,  and  there  died  in 
1718.  He  was  the  father  of  the  celebrated  Jeremy  Dummer,  and  of 
lieutenant  governor  William  Dummer,  who  founded  Dummer  acade- 
my. Eliot  in  his  Biographical  Dictionary,  says  he  was  born  in  this 
province,  which  is  correct,  but  not  sufficiently  definite.  The  compiler 
of  the  Dummer  academy  catalogue  says  he  was  born  in  Byfield,  but 
this  is  not  correct.  He  was  undoubtedly  born  in  Boston.  This  I  in- 
fer from  the  will  of  Jeremy  Dummer,  senior.  In  it  he  mentions  sons 
William,  Jeremy,  Samuel,  and  daughter  Anna,  who  married  John 
Powell.  Governor  Dummer  in  his  will  1761,  mentions  his  sister  Anna 
Powell.  '  He  was  a  man,'  says  Eliot,  '  of  such  correct  judgment,  and 
steady  habits,  such  a  firm  anct  temperate  conduct,  when  he  supposed 
himself  right,  that  the  vessel  of  state  was  secure  though  exposed  to 
the  dangers  of  a  tempestuous  sea.'  Douglas  always  styles  it '  the  wise 
administration  of  Dummer.'  He  was  in  the  chair  from  November, 
1722,  to  July  nineteenth,  1728,  and  again  from  governor  Burnet's  death, 
September  seventh,  1729,  till  April  eighth,  1730.  He  died  October 
tenth,  1761.  By  his  will  he  gave  his  valuable  farm  and  stately  man- 
sion house,  which  is  slill  standing,  for  the  endowment  of  the  academy, 
which  was  the  first  incorporated  academy  in  the  state. 

Mr.  NICHOLAS  EASTON,  another  of  the  early  settlers  of  Newbury, 
was  one  of  the  three  disarmed  adherents  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  and  in 
1639,  removed  to  Rhode  Island,  where  he  was  lieutenant  governor  of 
the  state  in  1650,  1672,  and  1673.  His  son  John,  who  was  fifteen 
years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  father  to  Newbury,  was  afterward 
chosen  to  the  same  office,  from  1690  to  1695.  Mr.  Nicholas  Easton's 
house  stood  near  where  Mr.  Nathaniel  Dole  now  lives. 

JOHN  EMERY  senior,  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life  resided  on  the  farm 
where  Mr.  Eliphalet  Emery  now  lives. 

Captain  WILLIAM  GERRISH  resided  near  the  parsonage  land,  on  the 
road  leading  to  Trotter's  bridge. 

LAUNCELOT  GRANGER  lived  for  some  time  on  Kent's  island,  and  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Jacob  Adams,  removed  to  Suffield,  Connecticut,  and 
was  ancestor  of  the  honorable  Gideon  Granger  of  that  place. 

Captain  EDMUND   GREENLEAFE,  whom  Johnson  styles  an  '  ancient 


CONCLUSION.  393 

and  experienced  lieutenant'  under  captain  Gerrish,  in  1644,  went  from 
Newbury  to  Boston  soon  after  the  removal  of  the  meeting-house  from 
the  lower  green.  In  his  will,  he  says  :  '  next  my  will  is  being  accord- 
ing to  God's  will  and  revealed  in  his  word,  that  wee  must  pay  what  wee 
owe  and  live  of  the  rest,  unto  whose  rule  the  sons  of  men  ought  to 
frame  their  wills  and  actions,  therefore,'  and  so  forth.  He  mentions  his 
son  Stephen,  daughter  Elizabeth  Browne,  daughter  Judith  Coffin, 
grandchildren  Elizabeth  Hilton,  Enoch  Greenleafe,  Sarah  Winslow, 
and  James  Greenleafe,  his  eldest  son's  son,',  and  concludes  with  the 
following  queer  memoranda.  '  When  I  married  my  wife  I  kept  her 
grandchild,  as  I  best  remember  three  years  to  schooling,  Dyet  and  ap- 
parel, and  William  Hill  her  son  had  a  bond  of  £  6  a  year,  whereof  I 
received  no  more  than  a  barrell  of  pork  of  £  3,  of  that  £  6  a  yere  he 
was  to  pay  me,  and  I  sent  to  her  son  Ignatius  Hill  to  the  Barbadoes  in 
Mackrell,  Sider,  bread  and  pease  as  much  as  come  to  £  20,  I  never  re- 
ceived one  penny  of  it.  His  aunt  gave  to  the  three  brothers  £  50 
apiece.  I  know  not  whether  they  received  it  or  not  I  never  received 
any  part  of  it.  Beside  when  1  married  my  wife  she  brought  me  a  sil- 
ver bowl,  a  silver  porringer,  a  silver  spoon  ;  she  lent  or  gave  them  to 
her  son  James  Hill  without  my  consent.  Witness  my  hand.  EDMUND 
GREENLEAFE.  Twenty-fifth  December,  1668.' 

THOMAS  HALE  resided  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  Parker.  The 
family  of  Hale  is  of  considerable  antiquity  and  of  high  respectability 
in  England.  Thomas  Hale,  of  Codicote,  in  Hertfordshire,  married 
Anne,  daughter  of  Edmund  Mitchell,  and  had  three  sons,  Richard, 
William,  and  John.  Richard,  the  eldest  son,  purchased  the  estate  of 
Kings  Walden  in  Hertfordshire,  and  died  in  1620.  His  son  William 
succeeded  him,  and  died  in  August,  1634,  aged  sixty-six.  He  left  nine 
children,  Richard,  born  in  1596,  William  in  1597,  Rowland,  his  heir, 
George,  torn  July  thirtieth,  1601,  Alicia,  in  1603,  Winefreda,  1604, 
Thomas,  1606,  Anne,  1609,  and  Dionisia,  March  seventeenth,  1611. 
The  last  mentioned  Thomas  is  supposed  to  be  the  Thomas  Hale  who 
came  to  Newbury. 

In  the  notice  of  WILLIAM  HILTON,  page  305,  a  mistake  should  be 
corrected.  It  should  be  thus  :  '  a  William  Hilton,  probably  not  the  same 
person,  died  in  Charlestown  September  seventh,  1675,  leaving  sons 
Xowell,  Edward,  and  Charles.' 

Mr.  JOSEPH  HILLS,  a  man  of  some  distinction  in  the  early  history  of 
the  country,  came,  as  I  am  informed,  from  Shrewsbury,  in  England. 
His  original  name  was  Hill,  but  to  distinguish  his  family  from  the  large 
number  of  families  named  Hill,  he  added  the  letter  '  s '  to  his  name. 
Since  that  time  all  his  descendants  have  borne  the  name  of  Hills.  Mr. 
Joseph  Hills  was  representative  from  Maiden,  and  speaker  of  the  house, 
in  1647.  He  was  also  a  representative  from  Maiden  from  1650  to  1656. 
In  1648  he  was  appointed  by  the  Court  with  Mr.  Edward  Rawson  to 
compare  the  amendments  of  the  books  of  laws  passed,  and  make  them 
as  one,  and  one  of  them  to  remain  in  the  hands  of  the  Committee,  for 
the  speedy  committing  of  them  to  the  press.'  In  consequence  of  his 
labors  in  compiling  and  preparing  the  '  laws,1  he  was  exempted  from 
paying  taxes  for  the  last  five  years  of  his  life. 
50 


394  CONCLUSION. 

From  his  will  I  make  the  following  extracts :  '  My  will  further  is 
that  for  the  good  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  tovvne  of  Newbury  that 
there  be  the  sum  of  forty  shillings  in  money  paid  into  the  hands  of 
captain  Daniel  Pierce  (or  such  other  person  as  the  town  shall  appoint) 
towards  the  procuring  of  a  good  bell  for  the  meeting  house,  or  such 
other  as  shall  be  built  for  the  better  comfort  of  the  inhabitants,  provi- 
ded the  said  inhabitants  shall  make  it  up  the  sum  of  thirty  pounds 
within  three  years  after  my  decease.'  '  Also  I  give  my  wife  my  great 
testament,  my  book  of  martyrs  and  new  warming  pan.'  Three  excel- 
lent articles,  and  rather  more  consistent  with  each  other  than  '  my 
great  bible,  my  fowling-piece  and  negro  boy  Tom.' 

SOLOMON  HOLMAN,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  the  west  parish 
or  Newbury.  He  was  born  in  England,  served  seven  years  on  board 
of  a  man  of  war,  ran  away  in  Bermuda,  when  sent  after  milk,  secreted 
himself  in  the  barn  till  the  vessel  sailed,  and  lived  by  milking  the  cows. 
He  was  discovered  by  the  owner  of  the  barn,  who  befriended  him,  and 
gave  him  employment.  He  afterward  married  his  employer's  daugh- 
ter Mary,  came  to  Newbury,  built  him  a  bark,  and  then  a  Jog  house, 
on  land  of  which  he  bought  thirteen  acres  for  a  fat  heifer.  The  land 
is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Jonathan  Ilsley,  from  whom  I  obtained  this  ac- 
count. Mr.  Holman  died  May  seventh,  1753,  in  his  eighty-second 
year. 

JOHN  KELLY,  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  Newbury,  was  of  Irish, 
as  well  as  of  English,  descent.  Shortly  after  he  settled  in  Newbury, 
he  determined  to  run  the  risk  of  building  his  house  on  the  north  side 
of  Old-town  hill.  His  neighbors  remonstrated  with  him  on  his  rash- 
ness, and  finally  the  town  passed  a  vote,  that  if,  in  consequence  of  his 
temerity,  he  lost  his  life,  his  blood  should  be  on  his  own  head.  This  I 
am  informed  on  good  authority,  though  the  record  is  not  now  to  be 
found.  Tradition  also  states,  that  one  night,  hearing  a  disturbance 
among  his  sheep,  he  went  and  killed  what  he  supposed  to  be  a  dog, 
but  which  in  the  morning  proved  to  be  a  wolf.  His  son  John  built, 
prior  to  1690,  the  house,  still  standing,  which  was  formerly  owned  by 
Mr.  Nicholas  Lunt,  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  north  of  gravel  hill, 
and  now  owned  by  his  grandson,  Mr.  Joseph  Lunt.  The  only  descen- 
dant of  John  Kelly,  and  bearing  his  name,  in  Newbury  or  Newbnry- 
port,  is  doctor  Elbridge  G.  Kelly,  though  many  descendants  are  found 
in  New  Hampshire,  and  most  of  the  New  England  and  other  states. 
Twenty-six  persons  of  the  name  are  known  to  have  graduated  at  the 
different  colleges  in  the  union.  Tradition  stales  that  the  father  of  John 
Kelly,  the  first  who  came  to  Newbury,  emigrated  from  Ireland  to 
Newbury,  England,  became  attached  to  a  lady  of  rank,  and  having 
on  one  occasion,  by  his  courage,  successfully  defended  her  father's 
house  when  attacked  by  robbers,  he  obtained  his  consent  to  a  marriage 
with  his  daughter. 

Deacon  RICHARD  KNIGHT  and  his  brother  JOHN  resided  on  land  now 
owned  by  John  Knight's  descendants  of  the  same  name.  The  deacon 
left  no  male  heirs.  I  have  a  piece  of  poetry  which  he  left  to  his  chil- 
dren. It  contains  good  advice,  but  whether  original  or  selected,  I  am 


CONCLUSION.  395 

not  able  to  say.  It  is  too  long  for  insertion.  The  following  lines  are 
a  fair  specimen. 

'  For  other  men  give  not  thy  word 
No  farther  than  thou  canst  afford, 
Lest  afterwards  thou  shouldest  rue 
To  pay  the  debt  when  it  is  due.' 

RICHARD  KENT,  senior,  lived  near,  or  in,  Kent  street.  RICHARD  KENT, 
junior,  resided  on  the  island  which  bears  his  name.  The  present 
owners  are  descendants  of  James,  brother  of  Richard,  junior.  The 
island  was  entailed  to  the  oldest  male  heir,  but  in  process  of  time  a 
difficulty  occurred,  which  the  testator  had  not  anticipated.  The  wife 
of  one  of  his  descendants  had  twin  sons,  Joseph  and  Stephen,  born 
May  ninth,  1741. 

It  has  never  yet  been  decided  which  was  the  older  of  the  two,  al- 
though a  long  and  troublesome  law-suit  was  the  consequence  of  the 
uncertainty,  which  was  at  last  settled  by  an  equal  division  of  the 
property. 

GEORGE  LITTLE  resided  on  the  land  now  owned  by  Messrs.  Silas, 
Tristram,  and  Henry  Little,  and  but  a  few  rods  from  the  house  now 
occupied  by  Silas  Little,  esquire.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  strength 
of  mind,  as  well  as  strength  of  body,  but  was  not  an  educated  man. 
The  farms,  which  he  selected  contain  some  of  the  best  land  in  the 
town,  and  are  still  owned  by  his  descendants,  at  Oldtown,  and  Turkey' 
hill,  where  the  houses  which  he  built  are  in  part  standing. 

The  descendants  of  WILLIAM  MOODEY  occupy  both  at  Oldtown  and 
By  field,  the  lands  once  owned  by  him.  Tradition  states  that  the  first 
oxen  ever  shod  in  Newbury,  or  perhaps  in  New  England,  were  shod 
by  Samuel  Moody  of  Oldtown.  He  at  first  tried  the  experiment  on  a 
dead  hoof,  and,  believing  it  would  answer  the  purpose,  soon  tried  it, 
successfully,  on  the  living  animal.  For  want  of  a  more  suitable  place, 
I  will  here  mention,  that  his  wife  Mary  was  a. grand-daughter  of  captain 
John  Cutting. 

It  has  been  supposed  by  many  persons,  that  the  name  SILOWAY  is  a 
corruption  of  Mussle white.  This  is  not  the  case.  John  Musslewhite 
had  no  descendants,  and,  in  the  next  place,  I  have  before  me  an  inden- 
ture, made  the  twenty-fifth  of  May,  1665,  between  Daniel  Mnssiloway, 
alias  Roger  Waldron,  in  which  the  said  Daniel,  'late  servant  unto  Jo- 
seph Plummer  yeoman,  being  infected  with  a  very  dangerous  disease, 
for  and  in  consideration  of  cure  out  of  said  disease,  do  bind  myselfe  as 
an  apprentice  unto  Mr.  Henry  Greenland,  Phisition  or  Chyrurgion  .  . 
.  .  until  the  full  end  and  term  of  sixe  yeares  bee  compleatly  expired, 
&c.  And  further  the  said  Daniel  alias  Roger  doe  promise  and  engage 
himselfe  unto  the  abovesaid  Mr.  Henry  Greenland,  thai  if  it  please 
God  that  he  shall  be  cured  of  the  disease  he  is  now  afflicted  with,  he 
will  confirm  this  his  act  by  owning  it  before  the  county  court  or  two 

magistrates.' The   Indenture  is  a  very  long  one,  and 

contains,  among  other  conditions,  the  following.  '  Taverns  or  alehouses 
he  shall  not  haunt,  except  he  bee  about  his  master's  business.'  See 
page  311. 


396  CONCLUSION. 

JOSEPH  MUSSEY  or  MUZZEY,  who  lived  in  what  was  called  Muzzey's 
lane,  now  Marlborough  street,  was  from  Ipswich,  and  was  a  son  of 
Robert  Muzzey,  in  whose  will,  dated  1647,  I  find  the  following.  '  I 
give  to  ye  use  of  ye  poore  one  ewe  goate  to  be  disposed  of  by  the  over- 
seers of  my  will  to  such  as  are  godly ;  only  the  first  yeare's  use,  I  ap- 
poynt  to  rny  brother  Dane,  the  ewe,  if  she  brings  kidds,  or  else  longer, 
and  when  the  goat  grows  old,  I  will  that  one  of  the  kidds  be  reserved 
for  such  a  use.'  '  Goats,'  says  Josselyn,  in  1663,  '  were  the  first  small 
cattle  they,  [the  New  England  people,]  had  in  the  country.  He  was 
counted  nobody,  that  had  not  a  trip  or  flock  of  goats.  Hogs  are  innu- 
merable.' 

The  descendants  of  the  reverend  JAMES  NOTES  and  NICHOLAS  NOYES, 
reside  on  the  land  and  in  the  houses  erected  by  them.  The  house  oc- 
cupied by  Mr.  Silas  Noyes  in  Parker  street,  is  one  of  the  oldest  build- 
ings in  Newbury. 

MR.  HANANIAH  ORDWAY,  who  was  born  December  second,  1665,  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  westerly  part  of  Newbury,  near  Indian 
hill.  He  died  in  June  1758,  aged  ninety-two  and  a  half  years.  His 
house  was  a  garrison  house,  and,  on  one  occasion,  in  the  early  part  of 
his  residence  in  that  part  of  the  town,  he  saw,  in  the  evening,  an  Indi- 
an creep  in  by  the  gate  that  led  to  the  house.  He  immediately  seized 
his  musket,  and  fired  at  the  spot  where  he  had  seen  him  enter.  On 
-examination,  he  could  find  no  trace  of  the  Indian,  who  had  left  his  gun, 
and  his  powder  horn  filled  with  rum,  and  which  had  been  shot  off  from 
the  belt  by  which  it  had  been  fastened  to  his  body.  Some  weeks  after, 
the  body  of  an  Indian  was  found  dead  in  the  woods,  who  Mr.  Ordway 
supposed  was  the  one  at  whom  he  fired  and  wounded.  The  gun  and 
horn  are  now  in  possession  of  his  descendants,  from  whom  I  obtained 
this  information.  This  was  perhaps  the  only  Indian  ever  killed  in  New- 
bury by  any  of  the  inhabitants,  but  continual  caution  was  necessary  for 
many  years  after  seventeen  hundred,  to  guard  against  attack,  which 
the  natives  might  be  disposed  to  make  on  the  white  inhabitants. 

The  land  on  which  MOSES  PETTINGELL,  esquire,  now  lives,  was 
purchased  by  his  ancestor,  Richard  Pettingell,  of  John  Spencer,  about 
1652. 

WILLIAM  PILSBURY,  originally  Pillesburgh,  bought  of  Mr  Edward 
Rawson,  the  farm  which  is  now  in  possession  of  Mr.  Joshua  Pilsbury, 
.one  of  his  descendants,  whose  house  was  built  as  early  as  1700,  and 
is  consequently  one  of  the  very  few  old  houses,  which  remain  in  town. 
There  is  another  ancient  house,  about  the  age  of  which  there  has  been 
much  inquiry,  and  some  dispute.  I  allude  to  the  stone  house  on  Pierce's, 
now  Pettingell's  farm.  My  own  opinion  is,  that  it  was  not  built  till 
after  1660  or  70,  perhaps  later.  Some  suppose  it  was  erected  by  Mr. 
John  Spencer,  to  whom  the  farm  was  first  granted.  This  is  not  proba- 
ble, as  Mr.  Spencer  returned  to  England,  and  made  his  will  in  1 637. 
In  that  will,  he  gives  his  farm  to  his  nephew,  Mr.  John  Spencer,  who 
did  not  deed  any  part  of  it  away  till  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  after.  He 
then  sold  a  part  to  Richard  Pettingell,  and  about  the  same  time  sold 
the  remainder  to  Mr.  Daniel  Pierce,  brother  of  John  Spencer,  senior. 
On  the  files  of  the  court,  January,  1679,  I  find  the  following,  namely  : 


CONCLUSION.  397 

'  The  deposition  of  Anthony  Somerby  aged  70. 

'  This  deponent  saith  that  about  ye  yeare  1651  or  52  I  was  at  the  farm  yt  Mr.  John 
Spencer  sold  to  Mr.  Daniel  Pierce  in  Newbury,  and  Mr.  Spencer  and  Mr.  Pierce  with 
myselfe  and  another,  I  suppose  it  was  Mr.  William  Thomas,  and  as  we  were  going 
through  the  land  of  ye  said  farme.  Mr.  Pierce  said  to  Mr.  Spencer,  you  promised  to 
give  me  possession  by  turfe  and  twigge.  Mr.  Spencer  said  so  I  will,  if  you  please  to 
cut  a  turfe  and  twigge,  and  Mr.  Pierce  did  cut  off  a  twigge  off  a  tree,  and  cut  up  a 
turfe,  and  Mr.  Spencer  tooke  the  twigge  and  stuck  it  into  the  turfe,  and  bid  us  bear 
witness  that  he  gave  Mr.  Pierce  possession  thereby  of  the  house  and  land  and  farme 
that  he  had  bought  of  him  and  gave  the  turfe  and  twigge  to  Mr.  Pierce  and  further 
saith  not.'  '  Taken  upon  oath  10  Jan.  1679  before  me. 

WOODBRIDGE,  Commissioner' 


Now  it  is  not  probable  that  Mr.  Pierce,  before  he  had  obtained  legal 
possession  of  the  farm,  would  be  at  the  expense  of  building  a  costly 
stone  house.  Other  information  also  leads  me  without  hesitation  to 
place  the  erection  of  the  stone  house  at  least  over  thirty  years  after 
the  incorporation  of  the  town.  It  was  at  one  time  used  as  a  safe  place 
to  store  the  town's  powder,  and  on  one  occasion,  tradition  informs  us, 
one  of  Mr.  Pierce's  slaves  placed  a  lighted  candle  in  a  keg  of  powder, 
which,  after  some  time,  took  fire,  blew  out  one  side  of  the  house  and 
lodged  the  poor  negro,  bed,  and  all,  among  the  limbs  of  a  large  apple- 
tree,  to  her  very  great  amazement.  The  farm,  which  has  had  several 
owners,  it  was  the  intention  of  Mr.  Pierce  to  entail,  as  in  his  will,  he 
says,  '  it  shall  never  be  sold,  nor  any  part  divided.' 

The  descendants  of  JOHN  POOR,  who  lived  and  died  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river  Parker,  still  own  the  land,  once  possessed  by  their 
New  England  ancestor. 

The  descendants  of  FRANCIS  PLUMER  still  own  the  land,  which  was 
once  his,  near  the  river  Parker.  About  the  year  1784  or  85,  one  of 
them,  Mr.  Simeon  Plumer,  found  a  quantity  of  gold,  of  which,  since 
much  has  been  said  and  more  conjectured,  some  account  may  be  ex- 
pected. The  story,  however,  has  been  much  exaggerated,  and  instead 
of  a  '  pot,'  a  small  amount  only  was  found,  probably  not  far  from  three 
hundred  dollars.  The  first  piece  was*  picked  up  by  a  child,  from  some 
dirt,  which  had  been  carried  out  of  the  cellar.  Shortly,  another  piece 
was  found,  and  search  being  made,  the  amount  above  stated  was  found 
in  various  parts  of  the  cellar,  but  how  it  came  there,  and  by  whom 
deposited,  will  probably  ever  remain  a  mystery.  Five  of  Francis 
Plumer's  descendants,  and  bearing  his  name,  have  been  members  of 
congress.  One  of  them,  George,  son  of  Jonathan,  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Pennsylvania,  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains. 

Mr.  EDWARD  RAWSON,  afterward  secretary  of  the  colony  of  Massa- 
chusetts, was  the  first  town  clerk  of  Newbury.  He  was  a  nephew  of 
the  reverend  John  Wilson,  of  Boston.  Two  of  his  sons,  David  and 
John,  went  to  England.  William  married  Anna,  daughter  of  Nathan 
Glover,  July  thirty-first,  1673.  They  settled  in  Braintree,  and  had 
twenty  children  in  twenty-five  years.  One  of  the  daughters  married 
the  reverend  Mr.  Torrey,  of  Weymouth,  another,  Mr.  Thomas  Brough- 
ton,  of  Boston,  and  Rebecca  married  Thomas  Rumsey,  as  appears  by 
the  two  following  papers,  now  on  file  in  the  state  house,  Boston. 


39S  CONCLUSION. 

'  The  testimony  of  Theodore  Atkinson  and  Mary  his  wife  inhabitants  of  Boston  in 
New  England  saith. 

'  That  about  the  3d  month  in  ye  year  1078  Thomas  Rumsey  came  to  me  and  tendered 
his  service  to  me  for  one  year  to  work  with  me  and  he  told  me  that  he  was  a  Kentish 
man,  and  that  his  father  lived  near  Canterbury,  and  that  he  was  a  yeoman  and  had  an 
estate  of  about  ,£400  a  year,  and  also  that  his  father  died  when  he  was  but  young,  that 
his  father's  estate  did  fall  to  him  at  his  mother  in  law's  decease,  and  also  he  pretended 
that  he  came  over  to  New  England  upon  the  account  of  religion,  and  further  he  hired 
himself  with  me  for  a  year,  for  to  attend  my  business  and  to  keep  my  book  of  accounts, 
and  for  the  gathering  in  of  my  debts,  but  when  he  had  been  about  a  month  with  me, 
he  pretended  he  was  one  that  had  been  highly  bred,  but  he  would  not  say  further  what 
he  was,  but  about  5  months  after  he  came  to  me,  then  he  told  me  his  father  was  a 
Knight  and  a  Baronet  and  that  his  mother  in  law  was  a  Lady.  So  he  lived  and  carried 
himself,  pretending  he  was  highly  bred  that  I  the  said  Atkinson  did  not  set  him  on 
work,  because  he  promised  me  he  would  satisfy  me  for  what  charges  and  expenses 
.  .  .  about  him,  but  a  little  time  after  he  came  to  me  he  began  to  discover  himself 
so  as  his  religion  did  seem  to  wear  away,  and  before  the  year  was  expired  he  changed 
his  name  and  said  his  name  was  Hale,  and  professed  he  had  been  a  great  traveller  in  ye 
Streights  for  about  two  and  twenty  months,  and  that  his  mother  was  called  the  Lady 
Hale  and  paid  him  his  money  by  bills  of  exchange  from  time  to  time,  that  she  was 
a  Lady  that  had  £300  per  annum  of  her  own  that  she  brought  with  her,  and  that  his 
father  had  about  £SOO  a  year  and  a  vast  estate,  which  he  durst  not,  nor  would  not 
mention  least  he  should  be  laughed  at,  and  not  believed,  that  all  his  fathers  estate  after 
his  mother's  decease  was  his,  those  and  such  like  unheard  of  stories  as  those,  in  which 
is  not  the  least  shadow  of  truth  (as  the  deponents  are  informed)  and  as  the  deponents 
now  perceive  he  made  use  of  as  a  delusion  to  put  a  cheat  on  Mr.  Edward  Ravvson  of 
Boston  aforesaid  to  accomplish  his  abominable  villainy  and  deceive  of  his  daughter 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Rawson,  whom  he  was  married  unto  by  a  minister  of  the  gospel  on  the 
first  day  of  July  1G79  in  the  presence  of  near  40  witnesses.' 

The  sequel  of  this  '  abominable  villany '  is  quite  tragical.  The  other 
paper  states  that 

'  Thomas  Rumsey  pretended  to  be  Sir  Thomas  Hale  jr.  nephew  of  Lord  Chief  Jus- 
tice Hale,  made  a  respectable  appearance,  appeared  to  be  well  acquainted  with  Lord 
Hale  and  being  a  person  of  a  very  handsome  address,  paid  his  devoirs  to  Rebecca 
Rawson,  who  was  accounted  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  polite,  and  accomplished  young 
ladies  in  Boston,  and  had  the  vanity  to  think  herself  suitable  to  make  the  young  Lord 
a  wife.  Accordingly  they  were  married  and  handsomely  furnished,  sailed  for  England 
and  safely  arrived.  She  went  on  shore  in  a  dishabille,  leaving  her  trunks  on  board  the 
vessel  and  went  to  lodge  with  a  relation  of  hers.  In  the  morning  early  he  arose,  took 
the  keys  and  told  her  he  would  send  the  trunks  on  shore  that  she  might  be  dressed 
before  dinner.  He  sent  the  trunks  up  and  she  waited  impatiently  for  the  keys  till  one 
or  two  o'clock,  but  he  not  coming  she  broke  open  the  trunks  and  to  her  inexpressible 
surprise  she  found  herself  stript  of  every  thing,  and  her  trunks  filled  with  combustible 
matter,  on  which  her  kinsman  ordered  his  carriage,  and  they  went  to  a  place  where 
she  stopt  with  her  husband  the  night  before.  She  enquired  for  Sir  Thomas  Hale  jr., 
they  said  he  had  not  been  there  for  some  days.  She  said  she  was  sure  he  was  th^re  the 
night  before.  They  said  Thomas  Rumsey  had  been  there  with  a  young  Lady,  but  was 
gone  to  his  wife  in  Canterbury,  and  she  saw  him  no  more.  Having  learned  many 
curious  works,  such  as  painting  on  glass,  she  thought  herself  able  to  support,  herself, 
and  on  her  return  to  America,  she  was  swallowed  up  by  the  earthquake  at  Port  Royal 
in  America.' 

Mr.  HENRY  SEWALL  came  to  Newbnry  in  1635,  in  1646  was  married, 
went  to  England  the  same  year,  was  there  settled  as  a  clergyman  till 
1659;  in  1661  he  sent  for  his  family  to  come  to  Newbury,  where  he 
resided  till  his  death.  He  resided  in  Parker  street,  (formerly  South 
street,)  on  the  north  side,  a  few  rods  N.  W.  from  Mr.  Silas  Noyes's 
house.  Of  Mr  Sewall,  Mr.  Savage  thus  speaks.  '  This  ancestor  of 
one  of  the  most  venerated  families,  which  has  given  three  of  its  mem- 
bers to  preside  in  the  highest  court  of  civil  and  criminal  jurisdiction  in 
Massachusetts,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Newbury.  The  biogra- 
phies of  Eliot  and  Alden,  and  especially  the  copious  collection  of 


CONCLUSION.  399 

American  epitaphs,  II.,  115,  have  well  perpetuated  the  memory  of  his 
descendants.' 

A  note  ia  the  Quarterly^  Register  of  February,  1841,  to  a  biography 
of  judge  Samuel  Sewall,  states  that  'during  the  one  hundred  and 
forty-eight  years  that  have  elapsed  since  a  supreme  court,  as  such, 
was  first  established  in  Massachusetts,  a  place  among  its  judges  has 
been  held  eighty-four  collectively  (more  than  half  of  that  period)  by 
four  descendants  of  the  above  mentioned  patriarch  of  Newbury  ;  and 
the  office  of  chief  justice  by  three  of  them  during  the  collective  term 
of  eighteen  years.' 

The  descendants  of  HENRY  SHORT  now  occupy  the  same  farm,  and 
live  on  the  same  spot,  where  their  first  ancestor  resided  more  than  two 
centuries  ago.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  descendants  of  THOMAS 
SMITH,  who  reside  on  the  spot  where  he  resided,  near  the  'clay  pitts,' 
as  they  were  called,  at  the  foot  of  Hill  street,  alias  '  West  India  lane.' 
Captain  James,  son  of  lieutenant  James  Smith,  born  in  1670,  and  mar- 
ried in  1696,  and  ensign  Enoch  Little,  son  of  Joseph  Little,  and  born 
in  1685,  were  the  first  settlers  on  Crane-neck  hill.  When  they  went  up 
to  clear  the  land,  which  was  about  the  year  1708,  the  Indians  were 
very  troublesome  On  one  occasion,  ensign  Little  placed  his  hat  on  a 
post,  which  an  Indian  mistaking  for  his  person,  pierced  it  with  a  ball. 
When  Mr.  Little  first  came  to  live  on  the  hill,  he  rode  up,  bringing  his 
wife,  as  was  the  custom  of  that  day,  behind  him  on  a  pillion.  The 
garrison-house,  at  his  first  coming  to  Crane-neck  hill,  was  on  the  spot 
where  the  late  deacon  Samuel  Tenney's  house  stands.  Another  gar- 
rison-house was  Mr.  Hananiah  Ord  way's,  near  where  Mr.  Joshua 
Ordway  now  lives.  Mr.  Ezra  Pilsbury,  who  died  in  1797,  aged  ninety- 
four,  frequently  mentioned  that  he  well  recollected  an  Indian  wigwam, 
which  he  had  often  seen  in  Ash  swamp. 

ANTHONY  SOMERBY  resided  in  a  house  which  stood  on  the  spot 
where  the  jail  now  stands.  The  family  derives  its  name  from  the 
village  of  Somerby,  in  Lincolnshire,  where  the  family  was  settled 
previous  to  the  conquest.  The  first  we  have  any  account  of,  is  Adam 
de  Somerby,  mentioned  in  Doomsday  Book  as  a  landholder  in  Lin- 
colnshire. Little  Bytham,  is  a  village  in  South  Heath,  eight  miles 
from  Stamford,  in  Lincolnshire. 

ABRAHAM  TOPPAN  resided  a  few  rods  north  from  the  house  of  captain 
Richard  Adams,  and  between  that  and  the  house,  now  owned  by  the 
heirs  of  the  late  Mr.  Joseph  Toppan,  one  of  his  descendants.  A  part 
of  Mr.  Abraham  Toppan's  posterity  have  conformed  the  orthography 
of  the  word  Toppan  to  the  usual  pronunciation  of  the  name,  and  write 
it  Tappan ;  for  instance,  the  brothers,  Messrs  Arthur,  Lewis,  Charles, 
and  John,  and  Benjamin,  late  senator  in  congress  from  Ohio,  and  a 
few  other  families. 

There  are  doubtless  many  others,  unknown  to  the  writer,  who  reside 
on  the  soil,  which  was  first  occupied  by  their  ancestors,  especially  in 
the  western  part  of  Newbury,  which  was  settled  many  years  later  than 
the  lower  part  of  the  town.  There  were  but  few  families  in  the  upper 
parish  prior  to  1700,  and  the  greater  part  of  those  resided  on  or  near 
the  main  road.  South  of  that  road,  tradition  says,  one  of  the  first  set- 


400  CONCLUSION. 

tiers  was  Hananiah  Orel  way,  son  of  James,  the  next  Samuel  Poor,  son 
of  Samuel,  about  1705,  near  Indian  hill;  the  next  were  Enoch  Little 
and  James  Smith,  who  commenced  a  settlement  on  Crane-neck  hill 
about  1707,  the  year  that  Mr.  Little  was  married.  The  next  was  Ste- 
phen Sawyer,  who  was  married  in  1719.  John  Chase,  son  of  Aqnila, 
born  in  1655,  was  the  first  of  that  family  who  settled  in  any  part  of  the 
upper  parish.  The  first  physician  in  that  part  of  the  town,  was  Dr. 
Matthew  Adams,  who  resided  on  Crane-neck  hill,  and  died  November 
twenty-fourth,  1755,  aged  sixty-nine  and  a  half  years.  The  first  per- 
son who  ever  went  to  market  in  Newbury  as  a  butcher,  was  an  Eng- 
lishman, named  Smith,  who  was  sent  by  John  Chase,  in  the  year  1731, 
with  his  son  David,  then  a  lad  of  fourteen,  whose  business  was  to  take 
care  of  Smith,  and  keep  him  sober.  Nearly  all  these  first  settlers  lived 
to  an  advanced  age.  Hananiah  Ordway  died  in  June,  1758,  aged  nine- 
ty-two and  a  half  years.  Samuel  Poor  died  July  eleven,  1769,  in  his 
eighty-sixth  year.  Ens.  Enoch  Little  died  April  twenty-eighth,  1766, 
in  his  eighty-first  year.  Captain  James  Smith  died  in  December,  1757, 
in  his  sixty-second  year.  John  Chase  died  26  February,  1740,  aged 
eighty -five,  and  his  son  David  died  17  Dec.  1802,  aged  92  years  and 

2  months.     Ezra  Pilsbury  died  in    1797,  aged   94.     Captain  Edmund 
Little,  son  of  ensign  Enoch,  died  29  Aug.  1803,  in  his  88th  year.     Mr. 
Samuel  Dole  built  his  house  on  Crane-neck  hill  in  1730.     lie  died  15 
Dec.  1776,  in  his  75th  year.     David  Dole  died  15  Oct.   1839,  aged  84. 
Judith  Dole  died  17  Aug.  1837,  aged  90.     Jane  died  3  Feb.  1825,  aged 
81.     Amos  Dole  died  28   March,   1816,   aged   83.      The  first  person 
buried  in  the  grave-yard  near  the  foot  of  Crane-neck  hill,  was  Micah 
Dole,  who  died  in  his  7th  year  22  Dec.  1747.     The  first  person  buried 
in  the  grave-yard  east  of  Mr.   Stephen  Thurlow's,  was  Mary,  wife  of 
Thomas  Chase,  3d,  who  died  12  Oct.  1725,  aged  21.     In  the  same  yard, 
a  granite  pyramid  is  erected  in  memory  of  the  late  doctor  Daniel  Noyes 
Poor,  and  his  ancestors,  on  which,  there  are,  as  I  apprehend,  several 
mistakes.     The  inscription,  I  believe,  should  stand  thus  :  Samuel  Poor 
was  born  in  1623,  and  died  31  Dec.  1683,  aged  60.     Samuel  Poor,  his 
son,  was  born  14  Oct.  1653,  married  Rachel  Bailey  16  Feb.  1680,  and 
died  29  Nov.  1727,  in  his  75th  year.     Samuel   Poor,  his  son,  was  born 

3  June,  1682,  married  Hannah,  daughter  of  deacon  Benjamin  Morse,  in 
Sept.  1705,  and  died  11  July,  1769,  aged  85.     Benjamin,  .his  son,  was 
born  5  Sept.  1723,  and  died   18  March,  1817,  aged  93  1-2  years.     The 
mistakes  are,  I  think,  in  the  first  and  second  generations.     John   Poor 
died  23  Nov.  1684,  aged  69,  and  not  23  Nov.  1694,  aged  81,  see  page 
142.     Samuel  was  born  in  1653,  and  not  in  1648,  and  was  not  a  son  of 
John  Poor.     Where  the  first  Samuel  Poor  resided,  I  have  never  ascer- 
tained.     His  son,   Samuel,  lived  on  Water  street,  near  the  foot  of 
Moody 's  lane,  and  was  living  there  in  1695.     Seepage   163.     Prior  to 
1724,  the  people  in  the  West  Parish  buried  all  their  dead  in  Sawyer's 
hill,  with  the  exception  of  those,  who  used  the  burying-ground  around 
Queen  Ann's  chapel.     This  burial-ground  is  now  called  the  Belleville 
cemetery.     The  earliest  record  of  a  burial  in  that  place,  which  has 
been  found,  is  that  of  the  reverend  Henry  Lucas,  who  died  August 
twenty-third,   1720.     The  oldest  stone  is  in  memory  of  Mrs.   Sarah 
Bartlet,  who  died  January  seventeenth,   1727.     From  this  date,  until 
about  1760,  there  are  many  names  found  here,  principally,  if  not  wholly, 
episcopalians,  while  all  others  used  the  upper  yard.     The  ground,  on 
which  the  chapel  stood,  with  the  yard  around  it,  is  said  to  have  been 


CONCLUSION.  401 

given  by  a  Mr.  John  Eayr.  For  many  years,  it  was  entirely  neglected, 
but,  in  1790,  it  was  enclosed  with  a  stone  wall,  and  somewhat  enlarged. 
In  1620,  it  was  again  enlarged,  one  hundred  dollars  having  been 
bequeathed  for  that  purpose  by  Robert  Dodge,  esquire,  on  condition 
that  another  hundred  dollars  should  be  raised.  In  the  fall  of  1843,  an 
associate  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  making  repairs  and  enlarging 
the  yard.  These  things  have  been  done  in  a  substantial  and  beautiful 
manner,  two  new  gates  and  a  receiving  tomb  have  been  added,  and  the 
whole  yard  enclosed  with  stone-wall  and  palings  in  a  neat  and  durable 
manner.  The  total  expense  has  been  about  four  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars,  and  the  cemetery  now  reflects  great  credit  on  all  concerned  in 
the  undertaking.  A  substantial  granite  wall  was  erected  in  front  of 
the  grave-yard  in  the  first  parish  in  1823,  and  much  enlarged  by  a 
bequest  of  an  acre  of  land  by  the  late  doctor  Nathan  Noyes,  but  the 
yard  itself,  and  some  of  the  tombs  need  repairs,  and  monuments  should 
be  erected  to  the  memory  of  Messrs.  Parker,  Noyes,  and  Moor.  The 
burying-gronnd,  on  the  hill  near  Frog  pond,  was  enclosed  for  that  pur- 
pose" in  1730.  The  first  person  buried  in  it  was  a  miss  Swasey.  The 
hill  was  once  called  Snelling's  hill,  probably  from  doctor  William  Snel- 
ling,  the  second  physician  in  Newbury.  The  alterations  and  embel- 
lishments, which  have,  within  a  few  years,  been  made  round  the  pond 
and  the  vicinity,  have  greatly  added  to  the  beauty  of  the  scenery. 
These,  with  the  elegant  new  buildings  lately  erected  on  High  street, 
together  with  the  Putnam  school-house,  which  is  soon  to  be  erected  at 
the  corner  of  Green  street,  will,  when  finished,  render  that  beautiful 
part  of  the  town  still  more  attractive.  The  burial-ground  in  Byfield 
parish  was  first  used  as  such  in  1702.  The  two  eldest  inscriptions  on 
the  grave-stones  in  this  place  are  as  follows : 

'  Mehetable  Dater  of  Mr.  Henry  and  Jane  Sewall,  wife  of  Mr.  William  Moodey, 
Promoted  settling  the  worship  of  God  here,  and  then  went  to  her  glorified  son  William, 
leaueing  her  son  Samuel  and  four  Daters  with  their  Father  Augus  ye  8th  1702  JEtat 
38  was  the  first  interred  in  this  place.' 

'  HERE  LIES  YE  BODY  OF  MR. 

JOSHUA  WOODMAN 
WHO  DIED  MAY  YE  30TH 

1703,  AGED  67  YEARS. 
FIRST  MAN  CHILD  BOJINE 

IN  NEWBURY 

&  SECOND  INTURID  IN 

THIS  PLACE.' 

The  parish,  as  has  been  mentioned,  was  so  named,  in  honor  of 
Nathaniel  Byfield,  who  was  son  of  the  reverend  Richard  Byfield,  of 
Long  Dutton,  in  Sussex,  and  the  youngest  of  twenty-one  children.  He 
came  to  Boston  in  1674,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  and  on  April  twenty- 
fifth,  1676,  sent  the  following  petition 'to  the  governor  and  council 
sitting  in  Boston.' 

*  The  Petition  of  Nathaniel  Byfield, 

Humbly  sheweth,  That  your  Petitioner  is  a  stranger  in  the  country  and  lately 
married  and  is  now  Prest  to  goe  out  to  warre  against  the  Indians  And  whereas  the 
Law  of  God  is  plain  in  24  Deut.  5  That  when  a  man  hath  taken  a  new  wife,  he  shall 
not  goe  out  to  warre,  neither  shall  he  be  charged  with  any  business  but  he  shall  be  free 
at  home  one  yeare.  Your  petitioner  doth  humbly  request  the  favour  of  yr.  Honours  to 
grant  him  the  Priviledge  and  benefit  of  the  said  law  and  to  grant  him  a  discharge  from 
the  present  service.  So  shall  he  pray  for  your  Honours. 

*  NATHANIEL  BYFIJELD.' 

51 


402  GOJS,        ?ION. 

The  portrait  of  judge  Byfield,  with  his  coat  of  arms,  was  presented 
to  the  parish  of  Byfield  June  first,  1835,  by  George  Lyde,  esquire,  of 
New  York,  a  descendant  of  the  venerable  judge,  who  died  the  sixth 
of  June,  1733,  in  his  eightieth  year. 

From  monuments  in  the  grave-yard  of  the  first  parish,  I  copy  the 
following : 

1  To  the  memory  of  TRISTRAM  COFFIN,  Esq.,  who  having  served  the  first  church  of 
Newbury  in  the  office  of  a  Deacon  20  years  died  Feb.  4,  1703-4  aged  72  years. 

'  On  earth  he  pur-chas-ed  a  good  degree, 
Great  boldness  in  the  faith  and  liberty, 
And  now  possesses  immortality.' 

'  To  the  memory  of  Mrs.  JITDITH  late  uirtuous  wife  of  Deac.  Tristram  Coffin,  Esqr. 
who  having  lived  to  see  177  of  her  children  and  children's  children  to  the  3d  generation 
died  Dec.  15, 1705  aged  80. 

'  Graue,  sober,  faithful,  fruitfull  vine  was  she, 
A  rare  example  of  true  piety. 
"Widow'd  awhile  she  wayted  wisht-for  rest 
With  her  dear  husband  in  her  Savior's  breast.' 

'  Here  lies  in  a  state  of  perfect  oblivion  JOHN  ADAMS,  who  died  Sept.  2,1811  aged 
79.  Death  hath  decomposed  him,  and  at  the  general  resurrection  Christ  will  recompose 
him,  when  perception  and  thought  shall  resume  their  several  functions,  and  he  shall 
become  identically  the  same  person,  which  Deity  composed  him,  and  shall  be  happy  or 
miserable  according  to  his  dispositions.' 

'  Here  is  interred  Mr.  ROBERT  ADAMS,  who  departed  this  life  March  ye  5, 1773  in  ye 
71st  year  of  his  age. 

1  For  near  12  years 

This  man  an  asthma  had, 

Above  ten  years 

He  was  not  in  a  bed. 

He  to  murmur 
^Was  never  heard  by  won 

But  waited  patiently 

Till  his  change  did  come.' 

'  Here  lys  ye  body  of  BENJAMIN  PIERCE,  Esqr.  who  died  May  ye  19th  1711  aged  42 
years  and  three  months. 

'  Pillar  'i  th'  State  he  was 
Bid  fair  still 
At  greater  things, 
To  all  yt  knew  him  well, 
Pattern  of  Vertue, 
Kind  to  all  was  he, 
Loued  by  frinds, 
Feard  of  his  enemie. 
Embalmd  in  tears, 
Enuey  itselfe  stood  dumb, 
Snacht  from  ye  world, 
In  times  most  troublesome.' 

'  Here  lyes  interred  what  was  mortal  of  ye  Honourable  DANIEL  PIERCE  Esqr.  who 
having  faithfully  served  his  generation  both  in  church  and  military  station  fell  asleep 
April  ye  22d  1704  aged  66. 

'  Here  lies  interred  a  soul  indeed, 
Whom  few  or  none  excelled. 
In  grace  if  any  him  exceed, 
He'll  be  unparallelled.' 


CONCLUSION.  403 

1  Here  lyes  ye  body  of  Mr.  DANIEL  NOTES,  who  died  March  ye  15th  1716  aged  42 
years  4  monthes  and  16  days. 

^{  As  you  are,  so  was  I, 
God  did  call  and  I  did  dy. 
Now  children  all, 

Whose  name  is  Noyes,  ^ 

Make  Jesus  Christ 
Your  only  choice.' 

'  Here  lies  ye  hody  of  Mr.  TIMOTHY  NOYES,  who  died  in  1718,  aged  63. 

c  Good  Timothy  in 
His  Youthfull  days 
He  liued  much 
Unto  Gods  prays 
When  age  came  one 
He  and  his  wife 
Thay  liud  a  holy 
&  a  pious  life 
Therefor  you  children 
Whos  nams  are  noyes 
Make  Jesus  Christ 
Your  only  Choyse.' 

Other  specimens  of  every  variety,  some  of  them  exceedingly  beau- 
tiful, might  be  given  in  abundance,  but  my  limits  will  not  permit. 
They  remind  us  of  that  stanza  in  Gray's  elegy,  in  a  country  church- 
yard, in  which  he  says, 

1  Their  names,  their  years,  spelt  by  th'  unletttered  muse, 

The  place  of  fame  and  elegy  supply; 

And  many  a  holy  text  around  she  strews, 

That  teach  the  rustic  moralist  to  die.' 

There  are,  in  Newbury,  several  other  burial-grounds,  both  public  and 
private,  that  have  not  been  noticed,  but  of  which,  I  shall  mention  only 
two  ;  one,  near  the  Rocks  bridge,  in  which  Mrs.  Ann  March,  wife  of 
Samuel  March,  who  died  June  eighteenth,  1724,  was  the  first  person 
buried,  the  other  is  the  Oak-hill  cemetery,  a  beautiful  and  romantic 
spot,  bounded  on  its  northern  and  western  sides  by  High  street,  and 
the  Newburyport  turnpike,  and  containing  four  acres. 

It  was  laid  out  in  1842,  and  so  far  completed,  as  to  be  used  for  its 
appropriate  purpose  the  same  year.  The  whole  expense  for  the  pur- 
chase of  land,  making  avenues,  grading  and  embellishments,  has  been 
two  thousand,  five  hundred  dollars,  and,  when  finished  according  to 
its  original  design,  will  possess  still  greater  attractions  as  a  rural  walk, 
especially  for  those,  who,  '  Isaac-like,  love  to  go  forth  and  meditate  at 
even-tide.'  This  beautiful  and  appropriate  addition  to  the  cemeteries, 
and  burial-places,  within  the  limits  of  Ould  Newberry,  owes  its  origin 
principally  to  the  exertions  of  Messrs.  John  Porter,  John  Wood,  and  the 
reverend  Thomas  B.  Fox,  as  I  have  been  informed. 

Originally,  it  was  my  design  to  furnish  a  table  of  mortality,  for  a 
specified  number  of  years,  of  those  persons,  who  died  in  Newbury 
above  the  age  of  eighty,  and  of  those  above  ninety  years  of  age,  but 
the  list  has  increased  to  so  large  a  number,  that  is  impracticable,  and 
is,  at  the  same  time,  so  imperfect,  that,  were  it  published,  it  would  not 
be  of  much  value.  A  few  instances  of  longevity,  in  addition  to  those 
found  in  the  genealogy,  I  here  insert. 


404  CONCLUSION. 

In  1753,  June  8,  Stephen  Sawyer  died  in  his  91st  year.  He  was  then  '  the  oldest  man 
in  town/  In  June,  1753,  Hananiah  Ordway  died,  aged  92  1-2  years.  He  was,  at  that 
time,  'the  oldest  man  in  town.'  Since  then,  a  large  number  of  much  more  aged  per- 
sons have  deceased  in  Newbury.  In  Feb.  179G,  Mrs.  Susanna  Coombs  died,  aged  96. 
The  newspaper  notice  is,  that  ?he  was  the  oldest '  female  in  town.'  Abel  Huse  died  11 
March,  1757,  in  his  94th  year.  Ebenezer  Huse  died  31  July,  1792,  aged  97.  Mrs.  Sarah 
Jackman  died  Dec.  1794.  aged  96.  Widow  Catharine  Poor  died  22  July,  1827,  aged  95. 
Widow  Sarah,  relict  of  Caleb  Morse,  died  11  Dec,  1815,  aged  100  years  and  two  months. 
Mr.  Caleb  Morse  died  22  June,  1740,  aged  95.  Mrs.  Lydia  Chase,  formerly  wife  of 
Samuel  Sawyer,  died  Nov.  1815,  aged  94.  Deborah,  widow  of  Barnes  Short,  died  16 
Sept.  1767,  aged  93  years  and  8  months.  Mrs.  Molly  Toppan  died  9  Jan.  1833,  aged  105 
years,  one  month,  and  15  days.  Widow  Elizabeth  Moody  died  20  Feb.  1827,  aged  97  1-2 
years.  In  1773,  Jan.  25,  died  Joseph  Atkins,  esq.  in  his  93d  year.  He  was  born  in 
Sandwich,  Old  England,  was  'of  the  royal  navy  was  in  the  famous  seafight  between 
the  English  and  French  in  1692,  was  at  the  taking  of  Gibralter  and  was  a  noted 
captain  in  the  merchants  service.'  His  widow,  Mary  Atkins,  and  daughter  of  gov. 
Joseph  Dudley,  died  Nov.  19,  1774,  in  her  84th  year.  In  Nov.  1774,  Mrs.  Lydia,  widow 
of  William  Sawyer,  died,  aged  93.  Ann  Hoyt,  widow  of  Joseph,  died  23  Jan.  1794, 
aged  96.  Deac.  Amos  Chase,  a  native  of  Newbury,  died  in  Saco  March  2,  1818,  aged 
99  years  and  11  months.  Nathaniel  Little  died  25  March,  1839.  aged  93  1-4  years. 
Sept.  13,  1843,  Nicholas  Noyes  died,  aged  95  years,  7  months,  and  10  days.  Mary 
Woodbridge  died  15  June,  1817,  aged  92.  Anna  Moody  died  15  Feb.  1834,  aged  97 
years  arid  7  months.  Mrs.  Prudence  Bailey  died  15  May,  1841,  aged  93.  Mrs.  Judith 
Colby  died  18  April,  1843,  aged  95.  Mrs.  Abigail,  widow  of  Nathaniel  Emery,  died  10 
Dec.  1843.  aged  97  1-4  years.  Mary,  widow  of  Jonathan  Rogers,  died  7  March,  1824, 
aged  99.  Mr.  Timothy  Toppan  died  2  Sept.  1796,  aged  99  years,  and  months.  Mary, 
relict  of  capt.  William  Woodbridge,  died  15  June,  1817,  aged  92.  In  1S07,  Sept.  12, 
Lydia  Smith,  widow  of  Moses  S.  died,  aged  91  nearly.  Nov.  24, 1809,  Elizabeth,  widow 
of  Henry  Rolfe,  died  in  her  92d  year.  Mr.  Abner  Greenleaf  died  1810,  Jan.  10,  aged 
91.  Ezekiel  Bailey  died  6  Feb.  1813,  aged  95  1-2  years.  Elizabeth,  relict  of  Moses 
Moody  died  19  Feb.  1817,  aged  97  1-2.  Alexander  Haskell  died  11  March,  1817,  aged 
93.  Stephen  Greenleaf  died  13  Oct.  1743,  aged  91  years  and  2  months.  Mrs.  Elizabeth, 
relict  of  deac.  Cutting  Noyes,  died  20  Jan.  1746,  in  her  92d  year.  Deac.  Archelaus 
Woodman  died  17  March,  1766,  aged  94.  Robert  Adams  died  3  Feb.  1769,  aged  95. 
Joshua  Baynton  died  Oct.  29,  1770,  aged  94.  Daniel  Sawyer  died  22  Oct.  1781,  aged 
almost  93.  William  Grant  died  20  April.  1785,  aged  91.  ^  A  large  number  of  the  des- 
cendants of  Henry  Jaques  have  been  remarkable  for  longevity.  Deac.  Stephen  Jaques 
died  about  1779,  aged  93.  Samuel  Jaques  died  in  June  24,  aged  95  1-2  years.  His 
sister,  Deborah,  widow  of  capt.  Israel  Adams,  died  20  May,  1837,  aged  99  years,  and  43 
days.  Stephen  Jaques  died  29  March,  1841,  aged  92  years  and  8  months.  John  Jaques 
died  in  1802,  aged  84.  Sarah  died  7  June,  1805.  aged  88.  Thankful  and  Betty  Jaques 
died  in  1831  and  1835,  aged  each  77.  Mr.  Parker  Jaques  is  now  living  in  his  92d  year, 
and  John  Jaques  in  his  90th  year.  Eliphalet  Jaques  died  in  June.  1804,  aged  nearly  90. 

The  average  age  of  twelve  children  of  Samuel  and  Hannah  Plumer,  born  between 
J719  and  1740,  was  73  years.  Mrs.  Sarah  Bartlet  died  Jan.  1815.  aged  99.  Joshua 
Noyes  died  Jan.  23,  1803,  aged  96.  Elizabeth  Thurston  died  15  Nov.  1819,  in  her  97th 
year.  Mr.  Abraham  Jaques  of  Wilmington,  Mass,  had  10  children,  whose  ages  were 
88,  77,  80,  86,  85,  84,  86,  70,  90,  80  —  826,  average  age,  82  3-5  years.  Col.  Moses  Little 
died  19  Oct.  1780,  aged  90.  Catherine,  relict  of  Ebenezer  Davis,  died  4  Feb.  1840,  aged 
99.  Henry  Adams  died  30  Aug.  1837,  aged  94  1-2  years.  Eunice  Dummer  died  28 
Feb.  1838,  aged  96  3-4  years.  Mary  Thurlow  died  in  1803,  aged  nearly  100.  William 
Bartlet,  esq.  8  Feb.  1841,  aged  93.  Beetfield  Sawyer  died  aged  97.  Mary 

Jaques  died  30  March,  1805,  aged  94  years  and  5  months.  Jonathan  and  David  Whit- 
more,  twin-brothers,  born  in  1736,  were  nearly  100  years  of  age.  The  former  died  29 
March,  1832,  aged  about  97. 

It  was  my  intention  to  devote  a  few  pages  to  biographical  sketches 
of  many  of  the  natives  of  '  Ould  Newberry,'  who  have,  in  various 
ways,  distinguished  themselves,  and  had  collected  copious  materials 
for  that  purpose,  but  my  limits  will  not  allow  of  any  thing  more  than  a 
mere  mention  of  the  names  of  a  very  few,  whose  memoirs,  were 
justice  done  them,  would  fill  a  volume.  Of  these,  one  of  the  most 
able,  useful,  and  patriotic  citizens  of  the  country,  and  who  rendered 
great  service  to  the  nation,  during  the  French  and  revolutionary  wars, 
by  purse,  sword,  and  pen,  was  brigadier-general  JACOB  BAILEY,  who 
died  in  Newbury,  Vermont,  March  first,  1816.  He  was  born  in  New- 


CONCLUSION.  405 

bury,  Massachusetts,  July  second,  1728,  settled  in  Hampstead  1745, 
raised  a  company,  of  which  he  was  captain,  at  the  commencement  of 
the  French  war  in  1756,  was  at  the  capture  of  fort  William  Henry, 
and  run  the  gauntlet  at  the  dreadful  massacre  that  occurred  by  the 
violation  of  the  plighted  faith  of  the  enemy  in  August,  1757,  and  was 
one,  who  escaped  to  fort  Edward.  He  was  made  a  colonel  by  general 
Amherst,  with  whom  he  was  at  the  taking  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
point  in  1759.  In  1763,  he  obtained  a  charter  for  a  township  in  Ver- 
mont, whither  he  removed  in  1764.  He  was  there  appointed  by  New 
York,  brigadier-general,  and  soon  after  by  general  Washington,  com- 
missary-general of  the  northern  department,  which  involved  great 
responsibilities,  and  subjected  him  to  dangers,  difficulties,  and  sacrifices, 
of  an  extraordinary  character,  and  many  anecdotes  might  be  related  of 
his  exploits,  hair-breadth  escapes,  encounters  with  the  enemy- Indians 
and  tories,  the  constant  vigilance  to  escape  the  scouts,  sent  from  Canada 
to  take  him,  and  for  whom  a  reward  of  five  hundred  guineas  had  been 
offered,  dead  or  alive.  He  made  a  treaty  with  the  St.  Francis  tribe  of 
Indians,  by  whom,  and  the  friendly  Indians,  he  was  looked  up  to  as  a 
father.  By  means  of  spies,  he  acquired  important  intelligence  respect- 
ing the  movements  of  the  British,  and  rendered  great  services  with  his 
purse,  pen  and  person  at  or  before  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  where  he  was 
engaged  with  two  or  three  of  his  sons.  He  sacrified  a  large  estate  in 
the  service  of  his  country,  for  which  he  never  received  any  compensa- 
tion, and  was  equally  distinguished  for  his  talents,  his  patriotism,  and 
his  piety.  See  reverend  Grant  Powers'  historical  sketches  of  Coos, 
and  Exeter  News  Letter,  October  third,  1842. 

Brigadier  general  JOHN  Bo  YD  was  bora  in  Newburyport,  Dec.  21, 1764. 
In  1786,  October  twentieth,  he  was  appointed  an  ensign  in  the  second 
American  regiment,  and  when  the  army  was  disbanded  by  act  of  con- 
gress, he  was  discharged.  On  January  twenty-eighth,  1787,  he  was 
appointed,  by  John  Hancock,  lieutenant  of  a  company  in  Boston.  On 
April  nineteenth,  1788,  he  sailed  for  India,  arrived  at  the  Isle  of  France 
January  second,  1789,  and  in  July,  went  to  Madras,  having  procured 
recommendatory  letters  to  the  English  consul,  residing  at  the  court  of 
his  highness  the  Nizam,  and  by  whom  he  was  presented  in  form  to 
his  highness,  who  presented  him  with  the  command  of  one  thousand 
infantry.  The  Nizam  was  then  in  alliance  with  the  English,  and  had 
taken  the  field  against  Tippoo  Sultan,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  infantiy,  sixty  thousand  horse,  and  five  hundred  elephants. 
In  1793,  he  was  a  prisoner  of  war  at  Ougene,  and  was  released  August 
fourth.  In  1794,  he  writes,  he  was  raising  two  battalions  on  the  parti- 
zan  principle.  In  Sepember,  1797,  he  was  in  camp  Hydrabad,  and 
after  many  years'  service,  he  sold  out  to  captain  Felose,  a  Neapolitan 
partizan.  He  was  in  Paris  in  1808,  and,  in  1809,  was  appointed  a 
colonel  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  and,  in  August,  1812,  was  appointed  a 
brigadier-general  by  James  Madison  in  the  United  States'  service, 
•commanded  the  detachment  of  fifteen  hundred  men  at  the  battle  of 
Williamsburg,  Upper  Canada,  November  eleventh,  1813,  distinguished 
himself  by  his  courage  and  military  skill  at  fort  George,  and  the  cele- 
brated battle  at  Tippecanoe.  He  was  appointed  by  general  Jackson 
naval  officer  of  Boston,  March  fourth,  1830,  where  he  died  October 
fourth,  1830,  aged  sixty-six.  See  Weekly  Messenger,  volume  eighth, 
page  seven  hundred  and  seventy-fourth. 


406  CONCLUSION. 

Mr.  RALPH  CROSS  was  born  in  Ipswich  August  fourteenth,  1706, 
came  to  Newbury,  married  Sarah  Johnson,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
useful,  patriotic,  and  pious  citizens  of  the  town,  was  one  of  the  seven 
persons,  who  made  a  present  of  a  house  to  Mr.  Parsons,  whom  he 
boarded  gratis  at  his  own  house  for  three  years,  and  gave  a  large  share 
of  the  expense  of  building  a  meeting-house.  His  two  sons,  ;  Stephen 
and  Ralph  Cross,  were  among  the  most  influential  citizens  of  New- 
buryport.  The  former  was  born  in  1731,  and  the  latter  in  1738.  They 
were  ship-builders.  Ralph  joined  the  northern  army  as  lieutenant  - 
colonel  of  a  regiment  raised  in  this  quarter,'  and  on  October  eighth, 
was  at  the  taking  of  Burgoyne.  The  brothers,  with  others,  built  the 
frigates  Hancock,  Boston,  and  Protector,  for  the  state.  Stephen,  '  at 
the  close  of  the  war,  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  excise,  and 
afterwards  collector  of  the  customs  in  Newburyport' 

Ralph  also  filled  various  honorable  offices.  From  1790  to  1796, 
brigadier-general  of  the  brigade  to  which  the  corps  of  Newburyport 
were  attached.  He  was  a  commissioner  of  bankruptcy,  and,  in  1802, 
was  appointed  collector  of  the  customs,  where  he  continued  till  his 
death. 

Colonel  MOSES  LITTLE  was  another  of  those  patriots,  whose  sterling 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  the  trying  scenes  of  the  revolution  brought 
into  notice.  He  was  born  in  Newbury,  May  eighth,  1724,  and  died 
May  twenty-seventh,  1798.  In  April,  1775,  he  marched  to  Lexington 
with  a  company,  was  colonel  of  a  regiment,  formed  his  men  in  Indian 
file,  and  marched  on  to  Bunker  hill  on  the  morning  of  that  celebrated 
battle.  His  black  velvet  clothes  were  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  the 
wounded  and  dying.  In  August,  he  returned  home  to  attend  the 
funeral  of  two  of  his  children,  staid  two  days,  and  returned.  After  the 
troops  evacuated  Boston,  he  went  to  New  York,  was  with  his  regiment 
at  Trenton  and  Princeton,  and  came  home  in  1777,  on  account  of  ill 
health.  In  1779,  he  was  appointed  by  the  commonwealth  to  take 
command  of  the  naval  armament,  which  was  designed  to  dislodge  the 
enemy  at  Penobscot,  but  declined,  on  account  of  his  health.  By  a  shock 
of  the  palsy,  he  lost  his  speech  in  1781.  For  sagacity,  strength  of 
mind,  and  imperturbable  self-possession,  which,  in  the  most  trying 
emergencies,  never  failed  him,  he  was  unsurpassed. 

WILLIAM  PLUMER  was  born  in  Newburyport  June  twenty-fifth,  1759, 
went  to  Epping,  New  Hampshire,  1768,  elected  representative  in  general 
court  1785,  and  continued  such  several  years.  In  1791  and  1797,  he 
was  speaker  of  the  house,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  1787..  He  was 
senator  of  New  Hampshire  in  1810  and  1811,  and  president  of  the 
senate  both  years.  He  was  also  senator  of  the  United  States  from 
June  seventeenth,  1802,  till  March  third,  1807.  He  was  governor  of 
New  Hampshire  1812,  1816,  1817,  1818,  and  one  of  the  presidential 
electors  in  1820.  He  is  member  of  Massachusetts  Historical  society, 
American  Antiquarian  society,  and  first  president  of  Natural  History 
society. 

It  would  be  gratifying  to  notice  many  other  natives  of  ould  Newbu- 
ry, with  others,  who  resided  here,  such  as  major  Enoch  and  general 
Jonathan  Titcomb,  Jonathan  Jackson,  Jonathan  Greenleaf,  Tristram 
Dalton,  colonel  Jacob,  and  colonel  Joseph  Gerrish,  senior,  and  Joseph 


CONCLUSION.  407 

Gerrish,  junior,  Nicholas  Pike,  author  of  the  System  of  Arithmetic, 
Moses  Brown,  William  Bartlet,  Jacob  Perkins,  Theophilus  Parsons, 
whose  reputation  as  a  lawyer,  and  whose  profound  knowledge  in  almost 
every  department  of  science,  has  probably  never  been  surpassed,  if 
equalled,  in  the  United  States.  But  the  grateful  task  must  be  post- 
poned to  some  more  propitious  occasion.  During  the  sanguinary  scenes 
of  the  revolution,  her  citizens,  both  by  land  and  sea,  furnished  their  full 
proportion  of  money  and  men,  to  cariy  on  the  war,  with  a  zeal  and 
unanimity  seldom  equalled,  and  if,  with  their  characteristic  energy,  they 
entered  largely  into  the  business  of  privateering,  and  captured  many 
large  and  valuable  prizes,  their  losses  were  also  unusually  great. 
Twenty-two  vessels,  with  all  their  crews,  from  thirty  up  to  one  hundred 
and  seventy  men  each,  went  to  sea  and  never  returned,  a  loss  of  life, 
compared  with  which,  the  massacre  at  Bloody  Brook,  which  sent  a  thrill 
of  anguish  through  the  whole  colony,  was  a  trifle.  One  of  these  ves- 
sels was  the  Yankee  Hero,  carrying  twenty  guns,  with  a  complement  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy  men,  commanded  by  James  Tracy.  '  Some 
fifty  of  her  crew  were  volunteers  from  the  enterprising  young  men  from 
Newburyport  and  vicinity.'  Some  families  gave  up  two.  There  were 
two  brothers  named  Brookings,  two  Bradbury,  two  Willard,  two  Stick- 
ney,  and  several  others.  Twenty-three  were  sons  of  widows.  The 
flower  of  many  families,  embarked  on  board  of  her,  found  thus  together 
a  watery  grave,  as  after  leaving  Boston  she  was  never  seen.  The 
America,  captain  William  Coffin,  a  twenty  gun  ship;  the  Wexford, 
captain  Philip  Trash,  an  eighteen  gun  brig;  a  letter  of  marque,  captain 
Jonathan  Jewett ;  brig  Bennington,  captain  Hart ;  schooner  Civil  Usage, 
carrying  eighty  men,  captain  Jeremiah  Hibbard ;  a  schooner,  commanded 
by  captain  Springer ;  with  fifteen  other  vessels,  of  various  sizes,  all 
shared  the  same  fate.  The  crews  of  these  twenty-two  vessels,  all 
owned  in  Newburyport,  probably  amounted  to  more  than  one  thousand 
persons:  What,  then,  must  have  been  the  loss  of  life,  at  sea,  to  say 
nothing  of  property,  during  the  revolutionary  war,  from  the  sea-coast  of 
New  England  alone  ?  We  at  the  present  day  can  have  but  a  faint 
conception  of  the  enthusiasm,  that  pervaded  the  country  during  that 
momentous  crisis,  or  of  the  sufferings  and  privations,  experienced  by 
our  fathers,  in  that  fearful  struggle.  One  of  the  first  privateers,  fitted 
out  from  Newburyport,  was  called  the  Game  Cock.  On  leaving  the 
harbor,  the  captain  sent  a  note  to  his  minister,  desiring  prayers  that  God 
would  preserve  him  in  his  attempt  to  scour  the  coast  of  our  unnatural 
enemies  !  The  extent  of  his  petition  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact, 
that  his  vessel  was  a  sloop  of  about  twenty  or  thirty  tons,  and  carried 
four  swivels !  Another  privateer,  called  the  General  Ward,  com- 
manded by  captain  William  Russell,  was  still  smaller,  as  it  car- 
ried one  swivel,  and  thirteen  men,  each  of  whom  had  a  musket 
In  a  short  time  it  took  two  brigs  and  a  schooner.  The  schooner,  which 
had  been  given  to  two  of  the  captors,  was  retaken,  but  the  brigs  arrived 
in  safety.  I  have  had  the  use  of  several  journals,  kept  by  those  who 
had  been  engaged  in  privateering.  From  one  kept  by  captain  John 
O'Brien,  I  make  a  few  extracts.  On  June  ninth,  1779,  he  sailed  in  the 
armed  schooner  Hibernia.  On  June  twenty-first,  took  an  English  brig 
and  sent  her  in.  On  June  twenty-fifth,  had  an  engagement  with  a  ship 
of  sixteen  guns,  from  three  till  five  o'clock,  P.  M.,  when  the  Hibernia 
left  her,  having  had  three  men  killed,  and  several  wounded,  and  was 
then  chased  by  a  frigate  till  twelve  o'clock.  On  July  seventh,  took  a 


408  CONCLUSION. 

schooner,  and  sent  her  to  Newburyport.  July  tenth,  in  company  with 
captain  Leach,  of  Salem,  took  a  ship  carrying  thirteen  four  pounders, 
and  on  the  same  day  took  a  brig,  and  then  a  schooner  laden  with  mo- 
lasses. July  eleventh,  took  an  hermaphrodite  brig  in  ballast,  and  having 
a  number  of  prisoners  on  board,  gave  them  the  brig,  and  gave  chase  to 
another  brig  that  was  in  sight,  and  took  her.  He  concludes  by  saying, 
that,  '  if  captain  Leach  and  he  had  not  parted  in  the  fog,  they  could 
have  taken  the  whole  fleet.'  Captain  O'Brien  was  engaged  in  many  en- 
terprises and  battles,  but  was  never  taken.  I  have  also  two  other 
journals,  kept  by  the  late  doctor  Samuel  Nye,  of  Salisbury,  Massachu- 
setts, who  went  as  surgeon  on  board  the  Vengeance,  carrying  twenty 
six  pounders,  and  one  hundred  men,  commanded  by  captain  Wingate 
Newman,  who  sailed  sixteenth  of  August,  1778,  and  returned  to  New- 
buryport, twenty-ninth  May,  1779,  having  taken  and  sold  in  Spain,  or 
sent  home,  September  seventeenth,  ship  Harriet,  packet,  sixteen  guns 
and  forty-five  men ;  September  twentieth,  Snow  Eagle,  twelve  guns 
and  forty-three  men ;  December  third,  took  brigantine  Elizabeth ;  twen- 
ty-seventh December,  took  brig  Francis,  having  on  board  two  thousand 
quintals  dry  fish ;  on  the  nineteenth  of  April,  1779,  took  letter  of 
marque  brigantine  Mary,  bound  from  Liverpool  to  Antigua,  with  forty- 
eight  men  and  sixteen  four  pounders.  His  second  cruise  was  on  board 
the  ship  America,  John  Somes,  commander,  who  sailed  eighteenth  June, 
1780,  and  returned  ninth  of  August,  having  taken,  with  the  assistance 
of  the  Brutus,  on  July  fifteenth,  ship  William,  brigantines  Duke  of 
Burlue,  Kitty  and  Bell,  and  Snow  Beaver ;  and  on  July  eighteenth,  the 
America  took  ship  Everetta  and  brigantine  Nancy.  From  a  record 
which  appears  to  have  been  kept  by  one  of  the  crew  of  the  brigantine 
Dalton,  I  learn  that  that  vessel,  commanded  by  captain  Eleazer  John- 
son, was  taken  December  twenty -fourth,  1776,  and  carried  into  Ply- 
mouth. Of  the  crew,  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  in  number,  who 
were  put  into  Mill  prison,  fifty-four  belonged  to  Newbury  and  Newbu- 
ryport. Among  them  were  Anthony  Knapp,  Daniel,  Cutting,  Richard 
and  Henry  Lunt,  Offin  Boardman,  Samuel  Cutler,  Paul  Noyes,  Charles 
Herbert,  Jonathan  Whitmore,  and  so  forth.  The  crews  of  many  other 
Newburyport  vessels  were  also  in  Mill  prison,  Plymouth,  and  in  Ports- 
mouth. In  these  two  prisons  there  were  at  one  time  five  hundred  and 
seventy-four  American  citizens.  Forty-seven  of  the  crew  of  the  War- 
ren, together  with  the  captain,  Timothy  Newman,  died  on  board.  Many 
of  the  prisoners  were  detained  in  prison  four  years.  Of  the  prisoners 
taken  in  the  Dalton,  two,  namely,  Henry  and  Cutting  Lunt,*  were  on 
board  the  Bon  Homme  Richard,  commanded  by  John  Paul  Jones,  and 
were  his  lieutenants  in  the  terrible  action  with  the  Serapis,  September 
twenty-third,  1779. 

Mr.  Richard  Smith,  who  went  out  in  a  privateer,  in  the  spring  of 
1778,  was  taken  prisoner,  put  on  board  the  Jersey  prison  ship  November 
seventeenth,  1778,  and  discharged  twenty-seventh  of  April,  1779,  dur- 

=*  Cooper,  in  his  Life  of  John  Paul  Jones,  states  that  his  lieutenants  Cutting  and 
Lenry  Lunt,  were  from  New  Hampshire.  This  is  a  mistake.  Both  of  them  were  na- 
tives of  Newbury.  In  a  letter  to  his  father,  dated  Nantz,  April  twentieth,  1779,  lieu- 
tenant Cutting  Lunt  thus  writes  :  '  I  am  happy  to  inform  you  of  our  deliverance  from 
a  horrible  prison,  where  we  fared  very  hard.  I  refer  you  to  brother  Richard  for  partic- 
ulars. I  have  shipped  myself  for  another  cruise,  and  hope  I  shall  have  better  success, 
I  am  going  in  a  ship  called  the  Poor  Richard,  commanded  by  John  Paul  Jones,  esquire, 
but  our  expedition  is  secret,  but  I  hope  to  be  at  home  next  christmas,  if  my  life  is  spared.* 


CONCLUSION.  409 

ing  which  time  twelve  hundred  and  seventy  prisoners  died.  When 
discharged,  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  Newbury  barefoot,  and  beg  his 
way.  This  is  one  specimen  of  the  sufferings  occasioned  by  war. 
What,  then,  must  have  been  the  aggregate  of  privation  and  distress, 
experienced  by  the  whole  country  during  the  revolutionary  struggle? 

One  instance  more,  and  I  have  done.  On  December  seventeenth, 
1776,  the  selectmen  of  iXewbury  sent  a  petition  to  the  general  court,  by 
way  of  remonstrance,  in  which  they  say :  '  on  the  nineteenth  of  April, 
1775,  our  minute  men  and  others  were  called  upon  to  march  to  the  as- 
sistance of  our  distressed  brethren  at  Cambridge.  On  the  twentieth  of 
the  same  month  we  followed  them  with  provisions  necessary  for  their 
support.  In  about  two  days  after  they  arrived  at  Cambridge,  they  in- 
formed us  that  they  had  received  our  provision  in  plenty,  but  were 
obliged  to  eat  it  uncooked,  they  being  destitute  of  kettles  to  cook  it  in.' 
In  another  place  they  say,  that '  blankets  being  unprocurable  of  the 
merchants,  we  were  obliged  to  get  a  great  part  of  them  in  particular 
families  one  or  two  in  a  place  in  different  parts  of  the  town.'  '  The 
clothing  also  was  collected  in  small  quantities  from  more  than  two  hun- 
dred places  in  different  parts  of  the  town.'  '  By  an  order  of  court, 
bearing  date  December,  1775,  we  were  ordered  to  send  three  tons  of 
English  hay  to  head-quarters  at  the  same  price  allowed  to  those  towns 
not  one  fifth  of  the  way  distant,'  and  so  forth. 

Notwithstanding  the  difficulties,  distresses,  and  privations,  which  the 
people  of  America  were  called  to  encounter,  and  of  which,  petitions, 
like  the  preceding,  give  us  some  faint  idea,  it  is  remarkable  with  what 
cheerfulness  they  were  encountered,  and  what  unwavering  confidence 
they  had  in  their  ultimate  success.  Thus,  in  a  letter  written  by  Mr. 
Jeremiah  Dole  to  his  wife,  dated  June  eighteenth,  1775,  he  says  : 
'through  the  good  providence  of  God  my  life*  was  saved,  but  we 
expect  to  go  at  it  again  today  very  hot.'  On  June  twentieth,  1775,  he 
thus  writes:  'I  am  well,  yet  I  want  to  come  home,  but  can't  yet 
before  we  have  killed  or  drove  the  regulars,  and  got  the  day.  I  keep 
up  my  courage  yet  to  fight  them,  and  will  till  I  die.'  His  last  letter 
was  written  September  third,  1777.  He  says,  'we  have  been  dragged 
very  bad,  and  expect  to  drive  on  very  soon  towards  the  enemy  to  drive 
them.'  On  the  19th  of  September,  the  day  of  Burgoyne's  surrender, 
he  was  killed.  In  a  letter,  dated  R.  I,  Oct.  14,  1778,  written  to  a 
friend  in  Newbnryport,  Mr.  Henry  Hudson  thus  writes :  '  the  night 
before  last  our  tents  all  blew  down,  and  we  were  obliged  to  get  shelter 
where  we  could,  some  in  houses,  some  under  stone  walls.  Our  mess 
found  pretty  good  quarters  in  an  old  quaker's  house.  It  would  be 
pretty  tolerable,  if  it  was  fair  weather  all  the  time,  but  these  oznabrig 
houses  are  not  so  clever  in  rainy  weather.  Who  would  not  be  a  sol- 
dier ?  I  must  now  conclude  praying  I  may  be  preserved  through  the 
campaign,  till  we've  drubbed  the  dogs  away.'  Here  I  must  cease 
making  any  more  allusions  to  the  interesting  events  of  the  revolution, 
and  return  my  thanks  to  Mr.  Jonathan  Kettell,  for  his  copy  of  Mr. 
Samuel  Rolfe's  journal  of  a  campaign  to  Louisburg  in  1758,  and  for 
the  reminiscences  and  facts,  furnished  him  by  captain  William  Noyes, 
who  lost  his  left  hand  at  the  siege  of  Louisburg.  The  journal  of  Mr. 
Rolfe  contains  twenty-six  pages,  but  I  have  no  room  for  an  abstract,  nor 
even  to  give  the  names  of  those,  who  were  present  at  the  siege,  nor 

*  A  ball  passed  through  his  hat  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  hill. 

52 


410  CONCLUSION. 

the  names  of  the  soldiers  commanded  by  captains  Jacob  Gerrish, 
William  Rogers,  Ezra  Lunt,  and  Benjamin  Perkins,  as  intended. 
On  that  subject,  a  volume  might  easily  be  written,  and  another  on  those 
eccentric  characters,  who  were  born  or  resided  in  '  Ould  Newberry.' 
Who,  that  ever  knew,  will  ever  forget  Madame  Hooper,  or  Timothy 
Dexter,  or  Jonathan  Plumer,  or  Benjamin  Uran,  or  colonel  Cotton,  and 
a  host  of  others  too  numerous  to  mention,  who  whilom  flourished  in 
this  region  ?  Could  I  roll  back  the  wheels  of  time,  and  present  to  the 
eyes  of  my  readers  a  view  of  Newbury,  as  it  was  in  1775,  the  picture 
of  the  actors  of  that  day,  arrayed  in  their  antique  costume,  and  sur- 
rounded by  appropriate  scenery,  would  both  startle  and  amuse  them. 
The  huge  cocked  hat,  the  full-bottomed  wig,  the  tight  breeches  with 
the  massive  silver  knee  and  shoe  buckles,  the  polished  manners  of 
the  gentlemen  of  that  day,  together  with  those  marked  distinctions  in 
society,  which  the  revolution  and  its  consequences  have  almost  entirely 
obliterated,  have  passed  away,  and  with  them  have  passed  the  stocks 
and  the  whipping-post,  those  relics  of  a  less  refined  age,  which  once 
stood  near  the  head  of  Marlborough  street.  In  1751,  I  find  the  follow- 
ing :  '  carving  the  head  of  the  whipping  post,  eighteen  shillings  and 
ten  pence.'  In  1765,  I  find  the  following  charge  in  Newburyport : 
'  iron  works  for  the  town  stocks,  four  shillings  and  sixpence,  and  a 
bowl  of  toddy,  eight  pence.'  These  appendages  of  civilization  stood 
till  about  1793,  either  in  Federal  street,  near  the  jail,  or  in  Water  street, 
near  where  the  custom-house  now  stands.  In  the  plants  of  Newbury, 
there  is  nothing  peculiar,  with  the  exception  of  three  species  of  beach- 
plum  on  Plum  island,  the  prunus  Httoralis  of  Bigelow,  and  the  arenaria 
peploides,  or  sand-wort,  discovered  on  Plum  island  by  doctor  Richard 
SpofFord  of  Newburyport.  There  is,  also,  a  kind  of  grass,  now  called 
black  grass,  which  was  once  called  pigeon  grass.  It  made  its  first 
nppearance,  less  than  a  century  ago,  on  the  banks  of  Little  river,  just 
below  Trotter's  bridge,  near  the  place  of  a  '  stand,'  where  wild  pigeons 
were  once  caught  in  great  numbers,  and  thence  derived  its  name.  It 
is  now  spread  over  thousands  of  acres,  and  is  every  year  gaining  ground. 
Among  the  minerals  of  Newbury,  are  to  be  found  amianthus,  asbestos, 
precious  serpentine,  limestone,  fibrous  and  granular,  dolomite,  tremolite, 
iron  pyrites,  arsenical  iron  pyrites,  iron  ore.  Nearly  all  these  are  found 
in  what  is  called  the  Devil's  den,  near  Mill  bridge  on  Little  river,  where 
excavations  were  first  made  for  limestone  in  1697.  Among  the  curios- 
ities in  Newbury,  may  be  mentioned  this  locality,  and  the  floating 
island  in  the  meeting-house  pond,  which  is  in  the  rear  of  the  bury  ing- 
yard,  near  the  first  parish  meeting-house  in  Newbury.  A  good  descrip- 
tion of  it  may  be  found  in  Silliman's  Journal  for  1827,  page  122,  by 
Amos  Pettingell,  junior.  It  contains  about  half  an  acre  of  land,  which 
rises  and  falls  with  the  water,  which  is  sometimes  eight  feet  higher 
than  at  other  times.  There  are  on  it  six  large  trees,  which  rise  and 
fall  with  the  island,  which,  in  dry  seasons,  is  perceptibly  lower  than  the 
surrounding  land.  On  this  island,  for  more  than  a  century,  there  has 
been,  yearly,  a  pair  of  those  birds  called  moor  hens,  which  regularly 
visit  it  about  the  tenth  of  May,  and  depart  in  the  fall,  with  a  brood  of 
young  ones.  Whether  it  is  the  same  pair,  or  their  heirs,  who  never 
forget  their  annual  visit,  I  am  unable  to  say.  The  veteran  elm  of 
Newbury,  mentioned  on  the  last  page,  is  worthy  of  a  visit.  Another 
elm  tree,  still  larger,  but  not  so  well  proportioned,  stands  in  Byfield, 
near  the  house  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Pearson.  Both  of  them  are  much 


CONCLUSION.  411 

larger  limn  the  famous  elm  on  Boston  common.  Of  birds  and  wild 
fowl,  that  frequent  Newbury  at  different  seasons  of  the  year,  there  are 
between  one  and  two  hundred  species,  of  which  more  than  half  are 
edible.  Wild  turkies  were  abundant  in  Newbury,  as  late  as  1707. 
Fish,  from  the  ocean,  and  the  rivers  JMerrimac  and  Parker,  are  caught 
in  abundance,  and  oysters  of  a  large  size  once  abounded  in  the  latter 
river,  and  there  is  not  a  day  in  the  year,  in  which  the  inmates  of  the 
alms-house,  situated  on  its  banks,  cannot  obiain  a  sufficient  supply  for 
their  own  use.  In  addition  to  the  agricultural  and  maritime  advanta- 
ges, possessed  by  the  citizens  of  ancient  Newbury,  with  the  facilities 
of  conveyance  and  transportation,  may  be  mentioned  the  impulse  given 
to  all  kinds  of  business,  by  the  erection  of  manufactures. 

Since  1836,  four  cotton  factories  have  been  erected,  and  a  fifth  incorporated. 
The  Essex  mills.  1836.  contain  six  thousand  and  seven  hundred  spindles,  one 
hundred  and  seventy-three  looms,  which  manufacture  one  million  and  six  hun- 
dred thousand  yards  of  Xo.  20  printing  cloths,  uses  one  thousand  and  one  hun- 
dred bales  of  cotton,  one  thousand  tons  of  coal,  and  pays  to  its  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  operatives,  about  thirty  thousand  dollars  per  annum.  The  Bartlet 
mills,  Xo.  1  and  2,  1836  and  1840,  contain  seventeen  thousand  one  hundred  and 
thirty-six  spindles,  three  hundred  and  sixty-seven  looms,  and  with  four  hundred 
operatives,  who  receive  about  six  thousand  dollars  per  month,  manufacture 
about  two  million  yards  of  Xo.  40  sheetings  and  shirtings,  from  one  thousand 
and  one  hundred  bales  of  cotton,  with  one  thousand  tons  of  coal.  These  two 
buildings  are  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  by  fifty,  and  two  hundred  and  sixty  by 
fifty  feet  in  length  and  breadih.  The  James  mills,  1842  and  1844,  will,  when 
completed,  contain  seventeen  thousand  and  one  hundred  spindles,  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  looms,  four  hundred  operatives,  who  will  receive  about  five  thou- 
sand dollars  per  month,  manufacture  about  one  million  and  eight  hundred 
thousand  yards  of  Xo.  40  and  60  cloth,  from  one  thousand  bales  of  cotton,  and 
use  one  thousand  tons  of  coal  per  annum.  Its  length  is  three  hundred  and 
twelve  by  fifty  feet.  The  Globe  mills  now  in  process  of  erection,  are  calculated 
to  contain  twelve  thousand  and  five  hundred  spindles,  three  hundred  and 
twenty-five  looms,  and  with  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  operatives,  te  manu- 
facture seventy  thousand  yards  of  Xo.  14  and  20  cloth  per  week,  use  four 
thousand  bales  of  cotton,  and  one  thousand  tons  of  coal  per  annum,  at  an  ex- 
pense for  wa^es  of  about  four  thousand  dollars  per  month.  The  goods  manu- 
factured at  these  mills  are  of  the  first  quality,  and  furnish  employment  in 
various  ways,  for  several  thousand  persons. 

As  much  has  been  asserted,  concerning  the  abduction  of  a  certain 
bell  by  certain  persons  unknown,  and  much  said  that  is  rather  apocryphal 
in  its  character,  I  have  been  requested  to  state  the  facts  concerning  it, 
which,  as  near  as  I  can  ascertain,  are  these. 

On  Monday  morning,  October  fourteenth,  1839,  a  bell  was  found  on 
the  front  door  steps  of  the  Belleville  church,  and,  near  to  it,  a  sealed 
letter,  of  which  the  following  is  an  exact  copy. 

'  Know  all  men.  to  whom  these  presents  shall  come. 

'  I  was  born  in  the  year .  in  London,  England,  was  soon  after  transported  to  this 

country  and  presented  to  queen  Anne's  chappel  in  Newbury,  state  of  Massachusetts,  (as 
my  label  shows,)  by  the  lord  bishop  of  London.  After  remaining  quietly  in  the  belfry 
of  said  chappel  for  many  years  I  was  taken  by  force  and  secretly  hurried.  After  the 
lapse  of  a  few  years  I  reappeared  and  was  placed  in  the  belfry  of  a  schoolhouse  in  this 
vicinity.  Soon  after  I  was  taken  down  and  placed  in  the  belfry  of  this  church,  where  I 
called  together  the  congregation  for  many  years  —  but  in  the  year  1838  I  was  taken 
down  to  make  room  for  a  larger  personage  —  in  a  few  moments  after  reaching  the 
ground  I  was  stolen — by  whoom  ?  no  one  knows  —  and  placed  in  the  belfry  of  the 
same  schoolhouse  now  in  another  street,  where  I  remained  until  last  Sat  unlay  evening, 
when  I  received  a  call  from  some  friends,  which  I  gladly  accepted,  and  have  treated 
me  well  and  placed  me  where  you  now  find  me. 

'  Restore  me  to  my  lawful  owners  or  beware  ! ' 


412  CONCLUSION. 

]f  the  writer  of  the  preceding  letter  intended  to  tell  the  truth,  he 
was  either  extremely  ignorant,  or  extremely  unfortunate  in  the  choice 
of  words  to  convey  his  ideas,  as  the  following  brief  narrative  of  facts 
will  show.  Queen  Anne's  chapel,  as  has  already  been  shown,  was 
originally  built  for  a  congregational  meeting-house,  but  the  builders, 
finding  that  both  town  and  state  refused  to  allow  them  to  use  it  for  such 
a  purpose  in  that  place,  afterward  converted  it  into  an  Episcopal  church, 
which  they  called  queen  Ann's  chapel.  The  bell,  which  was  regularly 
used  from  the  time  of  its  arrival  till  1766,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
of  the  last  years,  when  it  was  used  but  once  in  a  month,  had  on  it  the 
following  label :  'presented  to  queen  Anne's  chapel  by  the  bishop  of 
London.'  The  discontinuance  of  public  worship  in  the  chapel,  three 
sabbaths- out  of  four,  induced  those  who  lived  in  the  vicinity,  a  greater 
part  of  whom  had  attended  the  chapel,  to  form  a  new  parish,  build  a 
meeting-house,  which  was  raised  June  twenty-third,  1761,  constitute  a 
new  church,  and  settle  a  congregational  minister.  In  1766,  public  wor- 
ship ceased  entirely  in  the  chapel,  which,  'being  thus  deserted,  went 
to  decay.'  *  '  The  christening  basin,  which  is  of  silver,  is  in  the  pos- 
session of  St.  Paul's  church.' *  The  bible  was  given,  by  a  Mr.  Jack- 
man,  to  the  church  in  Boscawen,  New  Hampshire,  and  the  communion 
cloth  was  worn,  as  a  shawl,  by  a  Mrs.  Palmer;  the  bell  remained  for 
ten  years  unmolested,  and  apparently  unclaimed  by  any  person  or 
society,  in  the  belfry  of  the  deserted  chapel,  when  the  steeple  was 
blown  down,  about  a  year  before  the  fall  of  the  house,  throwing  the 
bell  into  the  street.  Seeing  this,  Mr.  David  Whitmore,  an  innholder 
in  the  neighborhood,  wheeled  it  into  his  barn,  where  it  remained  for 
some  time,  unconcealed  and  unclaimed,  till,  at  the  request  of  Mr. 
Whitmore,  colonel  Josiah  Little  removed  it  to  his  own  house,  where  it 
remained,  unconcealed,  as  is  well  known,  till  the  building  of  the 
Belleville  school-house,  where  it  was  used,  both  for  school-house  and 
meeting-house,  ready  to  be  delivered  to  any  person  or  society  legally 
or  equitably  entitled  to  it.  Requests  were  made  to  Mr.  Little  to  give 
up,  or  sell,  the  bell  to  St.  Paul's  church.  To  all  these  requests,  Mr. 
Little's  uniform  answer  was,  in  substance,  this.  '  The  bell  is  not  mine 
to  give  or  sell.  Any  person  or  society,  claiming  it,  can  have  it  by 
substantiating  the  claim.'  Satisfied  that  no  such  claim  could  be  legally 
made,  certain  persons,  who  they  were,  or  for  what  motive,  I  pretend 
not  to  say  or  know,  determined  to  obtain  possession  of  the  bell,  and 
accordingly,  as  it  would  seem,  employed,  for  that  purpose,  some  stupid 
agent  or  agents,  whose  organs  of  acquisitiveness  must  have  vastly 
exceeded  those  of  locality,  as  they  did  not  appear  to  know  the  difference 
between  Kent  street  school-house  in  Newburyport,  and  Pilsbury's  lane 
in  Newbury.  They  accordingly  made  a  sad  mistake,  and  instead  of 
taking  queen  Anne's  chapel  bell,  carried  off  the  Kent  street  school- 
house  bell,  which  has  the  following  label:  'Joseph  Joyet  fecit  1787. 
Lebeau  alia  grande  ange,'  which  they,  no  doubt,  supposed  meant,  being 
interpreted,  'presented  to  queen  Ann's  chapel  by  the  bishop  of 
London.'  The  selectmen  of  Newburyport,  however,  thought  differ- 
ently, and,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  reclaimed  the  bell.  Having 
failed  in  this  attempt  to  obtain  the  right  bell,  the  thieves,  having  studied 
topography  for  over  two  months,  and  having  selected  what  they  doubt- 
less deemed  a  suitable  time  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  design, 
determined  to  try  again. 

*  Reverend  doctor  Morss. 


CONCLUSION.  413 

"Twas  the  eve  before  Christmas,  when  all  thro'  the  house, 
Not  a  creature  was  stirring,  not  even  a  mouse,' 
Excepting  three  persons,  with  their  coach^ngfrone  wheel, 
Intending,  of  course,  the  right  bell  to  steal ; 
Who,  with  footsteps  quite  noiseless,  crept  up  Pilsbury's  lane, 
Accomplished  their  purpose,  and  crept  back  again  ; 
And  from  that  day  to  this,  the  compiler  believes, 
The  bell  has  been  missing,  and  so  have  the  thieves. 

And  now,  lest  it  may  be  said  of  the  compiler,  as  of  Herne,  the 
antiquary, 

'  To  future  ages  may  thy  dulness  last, 
As  thou  preserv'st  the  dulness  of  the  past,' 

I  close  my  book  with  the  following  beautiful  lines  of  poetry,  by  miss 
Hannah  Gould,  concerning  the  magnificent  elm  tree,  now  standing  in 
Parker  street,  before  the  house  of  Mr.  Richard  Jaques,  which  was 
transplanted  and  set  out  by  his  grandfather,  Mr.  Richard  Jaques,  in  1713. 

THE  OLD  ELM  OF  NEWBURY. 

Did  it  ever  come  in  your  way  to  pass 

The  silvery  pond  with  its  fringe  of  grass, 

And  threading  the  lane  hard  by  to  see 

The  veteran  Elm  of  Newbury '{ 

You  saw  how  its  roots  had  grasped  the  ground, 

As  if  it  had  felt  the  earth  went  round, 

And  fastened  them  down  with  determined  will 

To  keep  it  steady,  and  hold  it  still. 

Its  aged  trunk,  so  stately  and  strong, 

Has  braved  the  blasts,  as  they've  rushed  along- 

Its  head  has  towered  and  its  arms  have  spread 

While  more  than  a  hundred  years  have  fled. 

Well,  that  old  Elm,  that  is  now  so  grand, 

Was  once  a  twig  in  the  rustic  hand 

Of  a  youthful  peasant,  who  went  one  night 

To  visit  his  love  by  the  tender  light 

Of  the  modest  moon  and  her  twinkling  host, 

While  the  star,  that  lighted  his  bosom  most, 

And  gave  to  his  lonely  feet  their  speed, 

Abode  in  a  cottage  beyond  the  mead. 

'Twas  the  peaceful  close  of  a  summer's  day, 

Its  glorious  orb  had  passed  away. 

The  toil  of  the  field,  till  the  morn,  had  ceased 

For  a  season  of  rest  to  man  and  beast. 

The  mother  had  silenced  the  humming  wheel 

The  father  returned  for  the  evening  meal, 

The  thanks  of  one,  who  had  chosen  the  part 

Of  the  poor  in  spirit,  the  rich  in  heart, 

Who  having  the  soul's  grand  panacea, 

Feel  all  is  added  that's  needful  here, 

And  know  this  truth  of  the  human  breast, 

That  wanting  little  is  being  blest. 

The  good  old  man  in  his  chair  reclined 

At  a  humble  door  with  a  peaceful  mind 

While  the  drops  of  his  sun-burnt  brow  were  dried 

By  the  cool  sweet  air  of  the  eventide. 

The  son  from  the  yoke  had  unlocked  the  bow, 

Dismissing  the  faithful  ox  to  go, 

And  graze  in  the  close  ;  he  had  called  the  kine 

For  their  oblation  at  day's  decline. 

He  'd  gathered  and  numbered  the  lambs  and  sheep 

And  fastened  them  up  in  their  nightly  keep, 

He  'd  stood  by  the  coop  till  the  hen  would  bring 

Her  huddling  brood  safe  under  her  wing, 

And  made  them  secure  from  the  hooting  owl 

Whose  midnight  prey  was  the  shrieking  fowl. 


414  CONCLUSION. 


When  all  was  finished  he  sped  to  the  well, 

Where  the  old  grey  bucket  hastily  fell, 

And  the  clear  cold  water  came  up  to  ch-ise 

The  dust  of  the  field  from  his  neck  and  face, 

And  hands  and  feet,  till  the  youth  began 

To  look  renewed  in  the  outer  man, 

And  soon  arrayed  in  his  Sunday's  best, 

The  stiff  new  suit  had  done  the  rest, 

And  the  hale  young  lover  was  on  his  way, 

Where  through  the  fen  and  lield  it  lay, 

And  over  the  bramble,  the  brake  and  the  grass, 

As  the  shortest  cut  to  the  house  of  his  lass. 

It  is  not  recorded  how  long  he  staid 

In  the  cheerful  home  of  the  smiling  maid, 

But,  when  he  came  out,  it  was  late  and  dark 

And  silent  —  not  even  a  dog  would  bark, 

To  take  from  his  feeling  of  loneliness, 

And  make  the  length  of  his  way  seem  less. 

He  thought  it  was  strange  that  the  treacherous  moon 

Should  have  given  the  world  the  slip  so  soon, 

And  whether  the  eyes  of  the  girl  had  made 

The  stars  of  the  sky  in  his  own  to  fade, 

Or  not,  it  certainly  seemed  to  him, 

That  each  grew  distant,  and  small,  and  dim  ; 

And  he  shuddered  to  think  that  he  now  was  about 

To  take  a  long  and  lonely  rout. 

For  he  did  not  know  what  fearful  sight 

Might  come  to  him  through  the  shadows  of  night. 

An  elm  grew  close  by  the  cottage's  eaves, 

So  he  plucked  him  a  twig  well  clothed  with  leaves, 

So  sallying  forth  with  the  supple  arm 

To  serve  as  a  talisman  parrying  harm, 

He  felt  that  though  his  heart  was  big, 

'Twas  even  stouter  for  having  the  twig, 

For  this  he  thought  would  answer  to  switch 

The  horrors  away  as  he  crossed  the  ditch, 

The  meadow  and  copse  wherein  perchance 

Will-o'-the-wisp  might  wickedly  dance, 

And  wielding  it  keep  him  from  having  a  chill 

At  the  menacing  sound  of  Whip-poor- Will, 

And  his  flesh  from  creeping  beside  the  bog 

At  the  harsh  bass  voice  of  the  viewless  frog. 

In  short  he  felt,  the  switch  would  be 

Guard.  play-thing,,business  and  company. 

When  he  got  safe  home  and  joyfully  found 

He  still  was  himself  and  living  and  sound, 

He  planted  the  tree  by  his  family  cot, 

To  stand  as  a  monument  marking  the  spot 

It  had  helped  him  to  reach,  and  what  was  still  more, 

Because  it  had  grown  by  his  fair  one's  door, 

The  twig  took  root,  and  as  time  flew  by, 

Its  boughs  spread  wide  and  its  head  grew  high, 

While  the  priest's  good  service  had  long  been  done, 

Which  made  the  youth  and  the  maiden  one, 

And  their  young  scions  arose  and  played 

Around  the  tree  in  its  leafy  shade. 

But  many  and  many  a  year  has  fled 

Since  they  were  gathered  among  the  dead, 

And  now  their  names  with  the  moss  o'ergrown 

Are  veiled  from  sight  on  the  church-yard  stone, 

That  bears  away  in  a  lingering  fall 

And  owns  the  power  that  shall  level  all. 

The  works  that  the  hand  of  man  hath  wrought 

Bring  him  to  dust,  and  his  name  to  nought, 

While  near  in  view,  and  just  beyond 

The  grassy  skirts  of  the  silver  pond, 

In  its  green  old  age  stands  the  noble  tree 

The  veteran  Elm  of  '  Ould  Newberry.' 


INDEX. 


Adams   Robert  32. 
Andros,  Sir  Edmund  147,  101. 
Atkins,  Dudley  230. 
Amphisbena.  195. 
Arnold.  Benedict  24S,  249. 
Anti-slavery  society,  281. 
Andover.  Institution  at  275. 
Aurora  borealis,  190. 
Academy,  Dummer  227. 

Baptist  church  formed,  135. 

Bart  let,  Joseph  331,334. 

Bartlet.  Samuel  151. 

Barnard.  Rev.  Thomas  219. 

Bailey,  John  18.     Ballad,  326,  331. 

Bass,  bishop  Edward  207,  383. 

Banks,  192.  281. 

Bell,  60,  167,  172,411. 

Battery,  floating  259. 

Boddily,  Rev.  John  269. 

Breakwater.  280. 

Brown.   Mary    19,    George,  James,  and 

Richard,  15. 167,  175. 
Boston  port  bill,  244. 
Bridges.  121,  224,  259,  265,  280. 
Burying  places,  48,  200,  400,  403. 
Byfield,  170. 

Byh'eld,  Judge  Nathaniel  401. 
Battle  of  Bloody  Brook,  388. 

Church,  formation  of  16,  difficulties  in  44, 

54,  72,  77,  81-113,  214,  217. 
Church,  episcopal  176,  184,  206,  271. 
Clark.  Dr.  John  28,  391. 
Catechism,  287-291. 
Celebration,  centennial  281-283. 
Cbase,  Aquila  47,  323. 
Chaise  making,  255. 
Charter.  148,  152. 
Clark.  Stephen  M.  279. 
Clergymen,  names  of  370-373. 
Cotton  mills,  285. 

Colman,  Benjamin  testimony  of  340-350. 
Colman,  Thomas  15,  18,  29. 
Comb-making,  225. 
Coffin,  Tristram,  43,  49. 
Coffin,  Edmund  his  letter,  211. 
Common,  36,  140,  145 
Common  Pleas,  159,  Court  house,  273. 
Colors,  cross  on  the  21,  141. 

Dummer,  Richard  16,  33. 
Dogs,  laws  concerning  42. 
Dole,  Richard  31,  1207 
Dark  day,  187,  257. 
Dexter,  Timothy  229,  266,  274. 


Dana,  Rev.  Daniel  268,  285. 
Diet,  articles  of  367. 
Easton,  Nicholas  and  John  15. 
Earthquakes,  26,  66,  197,  198. 
Embargo,  opposition  to  274,  278. 
Epitaphs,  376-387. 

Freeholders  and  freemen,  146.  147. 

Fashions,  regulations  of  55,  58. 

Fever,  yellow  270. 

Fort  on  Plum  island,  253. 

Fire  in  Newburyport,  276. 

Franklin,  William  41. 

Ferry,  43,  49.  148,  160,  205. 

Garrison  house,  153. 
Garrison,  W.  L.  28 L. 
Genealosy  and  grantees,  291,  323. 
Goods  imported"  pledge  against  236. 
Gerrish,  Joseph  230. 
Graduates,  38,  350,  360. 
Greenland.  Dr.  Henry  64,  67. 
Greenleaf,  Capt.  Stephen  162, 164. 

Hurricane,  18,  39,  197,  241. 
Hail  storm,  59,  266. 

Hunt.  Elizabeth  inquest  concerning  159. 
Holbrook,  Daniel  elegy  and  criticism  con- 
cerning, 193. 

Hyde,  Sam.  202.  Hospital,  266. 
Hale,  Rev.  Moses  219. 

Indians,  37,  38,  40,  163,  362. 
1  Ipswich  fright,'  245,  247. 

Jaques,  Richard  194, 195. 

Knapp,  Isaac  281. 

Kent's  island.  47. 

Knight,  Richard  presentment  of    58. 

Limestone,  discovery  of  165. 
Lampton,  Rev.  Mr.  184. 
Lowell,  Rev.  John  197,  222. 
Louisburg,  expedition  to  215. 

Mall,  Market  square,  and  hall.  272,  279. 
Meeting  houses,  17,  37,  44,  62,  64, 151.  163r 

166,  169,  196,  206,  214,233,  267,  272,  278, 

285. 

Milton,  Rev.  C.  W.  265. 
Mason,  Mr.  Robert  148. 
Moody,  imprisonment  of  150. 
Morrill,  Isaac  153. 
March.  Capt.  John  defence  of  Casco  fortr 

148,  154,  170. 


416 


INDEX. 


Music,  work  on  by  John  Tufts,  185. 
Mills,  20,  27,  43,  121,  144,  278. 

Newbury,  name  and  settlement,  9-19. 
Newburyport  incorporated,  228. 
Newspaper  first  published,  241. 
Noyes,  Rev.  James  12,  15,  375. 
Noyes,  Col.  Thomas,  173. 

Palmer,  Timothy  266,271. 

Parker,  Rev.  Thomas  11,  12,  15,  69,  374. 

Parker  river,  named,  106. 

Parsons,  Rev.  Jonathan  216,  253. 

Parsonage,  17,  115. 

Parishes,  town  divided  into,  161. 

Page,  Henry  killed  281. 

Pequod  War,  22. 

Philip's  war,  117,388. 

Pest  house,' 227,  Poor  house,  167. 

Plant,  Rev.  M.  183,  184,  207,  381. 

'  Pope  day,'  celebration  of  249. 

Plum  Island  28,  50.  64,  122. 

Plumer,  Francis  15.  19,  26. 

Popkin,  Rev.  John  S.  274. 

Pound,  15. 

Potatoes,  190. 

Provisions  and  labor,  price  of  regulated, 

34,  256. 
Punishment  for  theft,  243. 

Quakers,  61,  67,  120,  187,  223. 

Rawson,  Mr.  Edward  58,  397. 
Richardson,  Rev.  John  115,133. 
Rogers,  Hester  execution  of,  168. 
Rogers,  Abner  his  death,  283. 
Rolfe,  Rev.  Benjamin  334. 
Rope  walk,  218. 
Religion,  revival  of,  210,  212,  213. 


Slaves  and  slavery,  154,  188,  241,  257,  334. 

Sewall,  Henry  and  Samuel  13,  32,  61,  368. 

Selectmen,  19. 

School  house,  57. 

Schoolmaster,  32. 

Sheep,  manner  of  keeping  138. 

Stamp  act,  230,  232. 

Ship-yard  and  shipping,  31,  194,  274. 

Snow,  great  fall  of  1 89. 

Snelling,  Dr.  William  presentment  of  55. 

Tavern,  first  kept  19. 

Titcomb,  Col.  Moses  death  of  222. 

Thomson,  Rev.  Edwin  156,  158,  160. 

Toppan,  Abraham  24,  399. 

Toppan,  Rev.   Christopher   160,  164,   213, 

376. 

Town  house,  built  196. 
Tucker,  Rev.  John  215,  232. 
Turnpike,  Newburyport,  273. 
Throat  distemper,  198,  204,  206,  208. 
Tything  men,  121. 

Vickery,  Joshua  tarred  and  feathered,  325. 

Washington's  visit  to  Newbury,  262. 

War,  disapprobation  of  278. 

West  Newbury,  incorporated,  279. 

Webster,  Elizabeth  punished.  66. 

Whitefield,  209,  215.  238. 

White,  Mr.  Paul's  wharf,  60,  65. 

Witchcraft,  48,  61,  1*2,  125,  127,  134,  157. 

Winter,  severe  189.        . 

Wigs,  opposition  to  220,  221. 

Wolves,  42. 

Woolen  factory,  267. 

Woodman,  Joshua  21. 

Worship,  manner  of  367. 

Woodbridge,  Rev.  John  22.  68,  69, 190,  201. 

Wardwell,  Lydia  punished,  66. 


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